admin | August 14, 2017
Like two of our Farmer stories this week, our script discusses how farmers are coping with drought and climate change – this time in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley.
Southern Africa has not been spared from the effects of global warming. Year after year, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and other countries in the region experience devastating droughts and unpredictable patterns of rainfall. Climate change and deforestation have had a negative impact on the rains. Sometimes there is too little rain, resulting in poor yields. Sometimes there is too much, which causes soil erosion.
One family in the semi-arid Luangwa Valley is using simple methods to capture the little water that does fall, so that they can irrigate their crops. They also use compost and practice crop rotation, both of which improve soil fertility. The Musangu family explains their practices in this script.
You may use this script on your own farmer program, using voice actors to represent the speakers. You could also use this script, and our Farmer stories, as research for a program on different techniques for coping with climate change. Speak to farmers in your area to learn about the effects of climate change they are seeing and how they are adapting their farming practices.