There are many regions countrywide whose people had no problem with rains as it receives normal rains that sustain production of all the traditional crops such as rice, maize and other crops, but this time around farmers are advised to venture into growing crops that are drought resistant such as sorghum, cassava, sweet potatoes and leguminous plants for food security.
It is therefore important for farmers to engage in climate-smart agriculture to reduce the negative effect of climate change.
Growing drought-resistant crops would help farmers have enough food for their families even without good rains.
Most of our farmers are fond of growing crops that depend highly on rains…We need to be more innovative and be climate-smart.
In the same vein we urge farmers to diversify from maize and venture into the production of crops such as sorghum, millet and cassava which are drought-resistant.
As TMA has warned, farmers should change the way they used to do and now they should venture into growing drought resident crops.
We believe that drought resistant crops are the answer to unpredictable rain patterns. At the same time we ought to encourage farmers to engage in environment-friendly methods such as conservation farming which are appropriate in low rainfall conditions which the country is currently experiencing.
We are aware that low rice production is looming in the country following an acute water shortage which has hit the giant Kahe West Irrigation Scheme in Kilimanjaro Region.
For the last three weeks, water levels in major rivers that were supplying irrigation water to the scheme have gone down and farmers fear that there will be poor rice harvests in the current season.
A spot check had established that the already planted rice in some areas has started withering due to lack of sufficient water for irrigation.
It is estimated that more than 1,500 acres of rice farms are on the verge of drying up due to the water shortage in the area.
According to the farmers, the water problems started a few weeks ago and the only hope now remained on the rains which have been nowhere to be seen in the area.
At the moment many farmers are not getting sufficient water and their crops have started to dry up. The water shortage is appalling as many farmers had secured loans and were currently wondering how they were going to service the loans.
The affected scheme serves more than 2,000 small-scale farmers from three villages of Oria, Ngasini and Mawala, who rely on paddy farming to earn a living. We therefore call for more efforts to address the challenge facing farmers in the area.
The priority areas for rice production are the irrigated lowland, rain fed lowland, and upland ecosystems. In the irrigated lowlands, improved rice varieties such as IR64 and SARO5 are usually grown.
Farmers grow mainly local and traditional varieties, many of which have low yield potential. Most of the rice grown depends on rainfall and many irrigation schemes need urgent rehabilitation.
Rain fed lowland systems suffer from floods during heavy rains but can also face drought. Inadequate postharvest technologies result in low-quality rice and low prices in the market. The infrastructure for transportation, storage and processing is often lacking or in need of rehabilitation.
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