The Impact of a Warming Micro‐Climate on Muooni Farmers of Kenya

Cush Luwesi,Joy Obando,Chris Shisanya

doi:10.3390/agriculture7030020

Abstract

Rainfed agriculture has become highly vulnerable to the depleting water resources in most arid and semi‐arid tropics (ASATs) under the effect of climate change. The impact has certainly been very high in Muooni catchment where more than 99% of the natural forest has been cleared. The warming micro‐climate is accelerated by extended deforestation, unsustainable irrigation, and water over‐abstraction in the catchment by eucalyptus and other exotic trees. The dwindling crop yields add to the farmer’s suffering. Farming communities have created various innovative ways of coping with a warming environment to increase their agriculture resiliency. These include, among others, rain water management, reforestation and agro‐forestry. To what extent have these practices been disturbed by the increasing temperatures, and decreasing rainfalls and river discharges in Muooni catchment? This study used statistical forecast techniques to unveil the past, current and future variations of the micro‐climate in Muooni catchment, and relevant factors determining farmers’ vulnerability to drought. Muooni catchment is warming by 0.8 to 1.2 °C in a century as a result of a changing micro‐climate. These changes are mainly driven by deforestation due to the high urbanization rate and agricultural practices in Muooni catchment. Centennial rainfall is subsequently plummeting at 30 to 50 mm while discharges are decreasing from 0.01 to 0.05 m3∙s−1, with unmet water demands of 30% to 95% and above. In view of the current trends of the population growth and urbanization in Muooni, agricultural expansion is seriously threatened if no appropriate policy, extension service and science based emergency measures are put in place by the Government of Kenya.

Highlights

IntroductionRegional climate change projections performed by Hulme et al (2001) [1] indicate that from 1900 to 2100 the variations of temperatures in Africa range between 0.2 ◦ C per decade (for the lowest scenario—B1) to 0.5 ◦ C per decade (for the high scenario—A2)
Regional climate change projections performed by Hulme et al (2001) [1] indicate that from 1900 to 2100 the variations of temperatures in Africa range between 0.2 ◦ C per decade to 0.5 ◦ C per decade
To what extent have temperatures, rainfalls and river discharges changed in the last five decades in Muooni catchment? What is the prospect for the future farming water therein? This study provides critical answers to these questions

Summary

Introduction

Regional climate change projections performed by Hulme et al (2001) [1] indicate that from 1900 to 2100 the variations of temperatures in Africa range between 0.2 ◦ C per decade (for the lowest scenario—B1) to 0.5 ◦ C per decade (for the high scenario—A2). Rainfed agriculture has become highly vulnerable to the depleting water resources’. The latter is ushered on by extended deforestation [2]. The 2007/2008 Human Development Report (HDR) mentions five (5) interactive transmission mechanisms of farmers’ vulnerability to climate risks in East Africa. These encompass: (1) the collapse of ecosystems; (2) increased exposure to coastal flooding and extreme weather events; (3) heightened water insecurity; (4) reduced agricultural productivity; and (5) increased health risks [3]. Deforestation and poverty are increasingly disturbing life-supporting ecosystems and the Agriculture 2017, 7, 20; doi:10.3390/agriculture7030020 www.mdpi.com/journal/agriculture

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