Kajiado Scribes Tipped On Climate Change Reporting

Kajiado

Monday, August 28, 2023

KNA by Rop Janet

Journalists drawn from various media houses in Kajiado County have benefitted from a two-day training on climate change reporting and climate smart agriculture.

The training organized by Kajiado County Media Association (KCMA) in conjunction with Arid Lands Information Networks (ALIN), sensitized the journalists on climate change impacts and mitigation measures.

According to James Nguo, Regional Director ALIN, climate change has resulted in adverse effects in society and journalists have a big role to play in sensitizing and educating the public on how to conserve the environment so as to mitigate its effects. 

Addressing the scribes during the training, Nguo said Kajiado is among one of the most affected counties by climate change.

He noted the need for residents to adapt to climate smart agricultural practices such as drip irrigation, agroforestry, crop rotation, conservation tillage among others in order to ensure food security.

“Climate change has affected food security especially in Kajiado county and there is a need to adapt to climate smart agricultural techniques such as drip irrigation,” He said.

Joseph Macharia, an Agro economist, reiterated that prolonged drought has impacted negatively on agricultural production in the county as rain fed farming is no longer viable.

Macharia revealed that human activities such as sand harvesting, encroachment of riparian areas, rampant felling and burning of trees for charcoal have played a major role in climate change.

“We have witnessed reduced agricultural activity in the county due to depressed rains. Rain-fed agriculture is no longer viable as the county witnesses’ long periods of drought,” he said.

The Agro economist pointed out other distinct issues which have been identified as activators of climate change which include changes in the earth’s orbit around the sun.

Others, he said, are the variations in the output of energy from the sun, and changes in ocean circulation resulting mainly from fluctuations in the upwelling of deep cold waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Mostly, he said, the composition of the atmosphere has been altered by human activities for over 200 years.

On his part, Joseph Ruto, an agricultural expert, added that one of the drivers of climate change was global warming which is caused by a build-up of greenhouse gases.

The five major greenhouse gases, he said, are carbon dioxide (co2), methane (ch4), nitrous oxide (n2o), trifluoromethane (cf2), and sulphur hexaflouride (sf6).

Ruto said climate change has already altered the water cycle, affecting where, when and how much water is available for all uses.

Peterson Githaiga, Chairman Kajiado County Media Association, said the training was timely as the effects of climate change were currently being witnessed and had impacted the society negatively.

He reiterated the importance of educating the public on how to mitigate climate change effects through climate smart agriculture and environmental conservation.

Courtesy ; K. N. A