African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 6(13), pp. 3217-3219, 4 July, 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR DOI: 10.5897/AJAR10.975 ISSN 1991-637X ©2011 Academic Journals
Short Communication
Effects of climate change on Rwandan smallholder agriculture Mupenzi Jean de la Paix1,2*, Bao Anming1, Li Lanhai1, Jiwen Ge2 and Gabriel Habiyaremye3 1
Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 Beijing Road South, Urumqi, Xinjiang, 830011, China. 2 China University of Geosciences, School of Environmental Studies, 388 Lumo Road, Hong Shan Administrative District, 430074 Hubei, China. Accepted 12 January, 2011
Considering the current impacts of climate change in the study area, it is concluded that farmers need external help and support to effectively cope with changing climate and to adapt to current and future climate change. Climate plays a central role in agriculture, which is the main stay of the Rwandan economy and community livelihood. Rwanda has experienced the irregularities of rainfall but the impact of climate has no significance on crop production. Key words: Climate change, smallholder agriculture, Rwanda. INTRODUCTION The most general definition of climate change is a change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over periods of decades or longer, regardless of cause. Climate change represents one of the greatest environmental, social, and economic threats facing the planet today. In developing countries, climate change will have a significant impact on the livelihoods and living conditions of the poor. Reference to Cornish (1998) ‘Smallholder agriculture’’ is used more generally to describe rural producers, predominantly in developing countries, who farm using mainly family labor and for whom the farm provides the principal source of income. Climate change threatens to reduce the availability of scarce water resources, increase food insecurity, hinder economic growth and lead to large scale population movements (Abele and Frohberg, 2003; FSRP/MINAGRI, 2003; Lasco and Boer, 2006). Climate change impacts to rural farming communities can be reduced by distributing climate data regarding seasonal climate forecasts to small farmers so that they can make more informed farming decision and adapt to the changing climate conditions. Some farmers have already started to use this information and are preparing themselves for dry
conditions by planting drought-tolerant crops. In Rwanda like elsewhere in Africa sub-Sahel, climate change is a problem that is affecting people and the environment. Farmers can also take advantage of climate forecasts by planting less drought-tolerant and higher-yield, long season maize when wetter than usual growing seasons are forecast (Morton, 2006; Jonathan et al., 2005; Ziervogel, 2004). This study intend to analyze the long term effects of climate change on Rwandan smallholder agriculture with main goal to propose an efficient method which can help the farmers to adapt to the possible long future climate change METHODOLOGY Study area Rwanda is a Mountainous country located in central and Eastern Africa. It borders Uganda to the north; Tanzania to the east; Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. It is covered by grasslands and small farms extending over rolling hills.
Data collection and analysis
*Corresponding author.
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E-mail:
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or
Crop and livestock data for Rwanda through the Rwanda Agricultural Development Authority and the Rwanda Animal Resource Development Authority, the ministry of Agriculture
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Figure 1. Variation of temperature and precipitation in the area of study.
collects crop and livestock production statistics. Rwanda’s crop and livestock production data are available for 1997 to 2007.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Rwanda has a temperate tropical highland climate, with lower temperatures than is typical for equatorial countries due to the high altitude. Climate indicators Rwanda is located in the African Sub-Sahara. Because of its high altitude, its temperature and rainfall are more moderate than the surrounding hot and humid equatorial regions. Mean annual temperature: 21.64°C. Rwanda’s average temperature varies according to its topography. Low temperatures are observed in the regions of high altitude (Gisenyi, Ruhengeli and Byumba) with average temperatures ranging between 14 and 18°C. Gikongoro, Butare, Kibuye and Kamembe experienced temperature ranging between 19 and 20°C.The average of 21 to 23°C is observed at Kigali, Gitarama and Rwamagana. High temperature ranging between 24 and 26 was unregistered in East of the country at Kibungo and Nyagatare. The rainfall is varying according y\to four seasons: A short rainy season from September to November and a longer season between March and May. Two dry periods, a short one between December and February and a long one from June to August; these changes may be due to the climate change situation which looks irregular in the whole country as shown in Figure 1. Some parts of Rwanda have experienced unusual irregularities in climate patterns including variability in rainfall frequencies and intensity. The high amount of precipitations are
identified in high mountain with an average ranging between 1300 and 1500 mm, the average of rainfall is ranging between 1150 and 1280 mm at Byumba, Butare and Kamembe, respectively; also, it is ranging between 1000 and 1100 mm at Kigali and Rwamagana, and the lowest average rainfall is identified in East and Central plateaus with an average ranging between 900 and 980 mm Impact of climate change in crop production Production of crop increased considerably between 1997 and 2007. The livelihoods of people in Rwanda are dependent on agriculture. Some dry seasons have great impacts on their livelihoods and welfare. It is shown in Figure 2 that fruit and vegetables are increasing more than fourfold, they are followed by Irish potatoes and wheat. However, groundnuts, colocase and rice are the crop with less increase. Increasing production can come at the expense of further limiting the available land for agriculture, especially in light of the aggressive efforts to intensify agriculture. The increase in production can partly be explained by expansion of cultivated area or by improved yields; the climate change has no significance impact. Conclusions This study taken in Rwanda was held to investigate the Impact of climate change on Rwandan smallholder
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Figure 2. Evolution of principal crops, in Rwanda from 1997 to 2007.
agriculture. It was shown that food crops hold a very dominant position in Rwandan agriculture. The increase in production from 1997 to 2007 is due to expansion of cultivated area or by improved yields and the climatic variations has no significance an important role in crop production. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was financially supported by the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (973 program, Grant No. 2009CB426309), the Natural Sciences Foundation of China (No. 40871027) and the Knowledge Innovation project of Chinese Academy of science (KZCX2–YW–334). The authors would like to sincerely thank Dr. Achal Varenyam for his helpful comments for the improvement of this manuscript. REFERENCES Abele S, Frohberg K (2003). Subsistence Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe (Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Eastern Europe, Studies on the Agricultural and Food Sector in Central and Europe- IAMO, Halle, Germany), p. 2. Cornish GA (1998). Modern Irrigation Technologies for Smallholders in Developing Countries (Intermediate Technology, London, UK).
FSRP/ MINAGRI (2003). Changes in Allocation of Land Holdings, Production and Farm Size in the Rwandan Smallholder Sector, over the Period 1984/1990 to 2002. Rwanda Food Security Research Project (FSRP)/Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Kigali. Jonathan A, Patz D, Campbell L, Tracey H, Jonathan AF (2005). Impact of regional climate change on human health. Nature, 438: 310-317. Lasco RD, Boer R (2006). An Integrated Assessment of Climate Change Impacts, Adaptations and Vulnerability in Watershed Areas and Communities in Southeast Asia (AIACC, Washington, DC), Final Report Project, 25pp. Morton J (2006). In Pastoral Livestock Marketing in Eastern Africa: Research and Policy Challenges, eds McPeak JG, Little PD (Intermediate Technology, Rugby, UK), pp. 227-246. Ziervogel G (2004). Targeting seasonal climate forecasts for integration into household level decisions: the case of smallholder farmers in Lesotho. Geogr. J., 170(1): 6-21.
