Mulberry (Morus spp) as a Plant for Building the Resilience of Smallholder Farmers during Climate Change and COVID 19 Pandemic

Abstract

Global warming and the COVID 19 pandemic have imposed a devastating effect on life all over the world. Agriculture faces daunting challenges in the coming decades due to these two issues. The aim of this review paper is to provide pertinent information on mulberry to justify its use in building the resilience of smallholder farmers in the phase of climate change and COVID 19 pandemic. Agricultural production has been constrained by lack of sensitization about crops that could be incorporated for the dual purpose of mitigating the effects of both climate change and COVID 19. Although mulberry has a multiplicity of uses, information on its suitability for climate change mitigation and its nutraceutical potential especially during the times of COVID 19 has not been documented. In this paper the suitability of mulberry in climate change mitigation is also discussed. The paper concludes' that the resilience of mulberry against drought, its multipurpose nature as food, its medicinal properties and the extent of its effect on the environment gives it priority as a plant that could be incorporated into the farming system as a cushion against the effects of climate change on the conventional crops. Mulberry is therefore a plant that is suitable for building the resilience of smallholder farmers against climate change and COVID 19 pandemic.