Climate change threatens fishing and farming communities in Nigeria
Posted by jinn on 6th December 2011
News Segments
Wed, 11/23/2011 – 15:09
Reposted from Free Speech Radio News
Year: 2011
Length: 5:30 minutes (5.03 MB)
Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)
Nations are gathering in Durban, South Africa for the next round of climate change talks. Developing nations and those most vulnerable to climate change are calling for strong commitments of emissions reduction and funding from the world’s richer nations. Past meetings in Copenhagen and Cancun have failed to create a lasting accord to confront climate change and scientists warn that time is running out.
A new report from the UN’s agency of climate scientists, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, predicts extreme weather will increase in the coming decades, including heavy rainfall and hurricanes, heat waves and droughts.
Today, we go to Nigeria, where climate change is already having an effect on the livelihoods of women in the traditional occupations of farming and fishing.
Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos.
Full transcript:
LEDE: The United Nations Climate Change Conference is due to start in Durban, South Africa, at the end of this month. The conference is aimed at working out an international agreement on limiting emissions of greenhouse gases which are responsible for climate change. Women in low income African societies are among those feeling the worst impacts of climate change. In particular, poverty is growing among African women whose traditional occupation is farming and fishing as changing weather patterns affect their source of livelihood. Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos.
DISC: Actuality of ocean waves
SAM: Ocean waves are eroding Nigeria’s Atlantic coastline and the mostly poor residents of Nigeria’s coastal communities are living with the effects. Scientists say climate change is responsible for the rising sea levels. Ibeno, a large community in South Eastern Nigeria made up of several small islands is one of the worst hit areas. Entire islands have been submerged, displacing thousands of their inhabitants. Many of those displaced – especially women – say they have become poorer because the displacement makes it difficult for them to continue fishing in a sustainable manner. Amuwa Tade is one of the displaced women.
DISC: (speaks in Yoruba) Needs voice over
Translation: The Ocean seriously affected us. All the children in school have returned home. They have sent them away from school, because there is no money for their school fees. See the way I am dressed, see the shoes I am wearing. I have not eaten since morning. I am living on my past glory. This is how we have been affected.
DISC: Actuality of a woman clearing weeds.
SAM: A woman clears weeds on her farm in Kano Northern Nigeria. Like their counterparts who make a livelihood from fishing, African women who farm are also facing problems caused by climate change. In Northern Nigeria AND BORDERING REGIONS, declining rainfall and desert encroachment which are both attributed to climate change have seriously affected women farmers.
The West African State of Niger has also been affected. Aminatou Daouda Hainikoye a lawyer from the country says available water for farming has been declining over the years. Hainikoye, who is a legal advocate for small farmers, says women are at a disadvantage in securing access to the shrinking supply of water for agricultural use.
DISC: Speaks in Hausa (Needs voice over)
Translation: The lands closest to the rivers are the most expensive. The prices of such lands have been on the increase, because they contain the water that can be used for farming. Now where will poor women get the money to purchase expensive lands? We did a study and we found out that men are the owners of all the lands close to the rivers.
SAM: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says women are the majority of farmers in many developing countries like those of Africa. Experts say the effect of climate change on Africa’s food security would negatively affect the continent’s women farmers because of their role in agriculture. Desmond Majekodunmi is an environmentalist with the Lagos based Nigerian Conservation Foundation.
DISC: You have food scarcity because of the inclement weather, crops would no longer grow as well as they should because crops are used to certain timing schedules of rain and water and now those schedules are being disrupted and this would definitely affect food security and women are on the front line of food procurement and food marketing so it is affecting our women folks
SAM: Industrialized nations are mainly responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, but poor countries like those in Africa are the ones bearing the brunt of climate change. Developed nations had in the last years made several promises including the provision of 30 billion dollars between 2010 and 2012, to enable developing nations to adapt to climate change. A report by the International Institute for Environment and Development released ahead of the climate change conference in Durban says the wealthy nations are not fulfilling their promise. The London based international research organization says the implication of this is that poor countries will find it harder to adapt to climate change caused by the actions of others. Sam Olukoya FSRN, Lagos.
image info: photo by go_greener_oz on Flickr, creative commons attribution
http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3047060508
Tags: Africa, food scarcity, Free Speech Radio News, Niger Delta, Oil, oil in Nigeria, Sam Olukoya, women farmers, women fishers
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