O level Notes : Natural Disaster risk management strategies in agriculture

Natural disasters pose a great risk to investments made to the farming business and results in production losses and deaths of plants, animals and farmers. Every Government has tried to ensure the safety of its citizens from the effects of natural disasters. In Zimbabwe, government departments have been established by law to predict and forecast natural disasters so that early warning is made and disaster preparedness efforts are heightened to reduce the impact of 7 natural disasters. There are several precautionary measures that can be adopted to guard against natural disasters, measures such as weather forecasting, establishment of disaster management departments like the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) in Zimbabwe and construction of structures that reduce the impact of natural disasters.

Weather forecasting

The metrological department has weather stations across the country that measure various aspects of the weather and the records are prepared and kept for reference. It is the mandate and responsibility of the metrological department to inform citizens of the expected weather patterns. The department also works with met departments from neighboring countries since some natural disasters can affect a number of countries at once. Scientific instruments, knowledge and study of weather patterns and cycles of disasters from weather records are used to forecast the occurrences of natural disasters. Weather reports and natural disaster warnings can reach the farmers through cellphone messages, internet, newspapers, weather broadcasts on television and radio stations.

The Civil Protection Unit in Zimbabwe issues early warning messages to alert farmers and citizens in areas where natural disasters are being expected to occur. The CPU also supplies information on measures that can be used to reduce the impact of the expected disaster.

The importance of weather forecasting

• Weather reports and forecast help farmers to put in place precautionary measures that reduce the risk posed by the forecasted natural disasters on their farm business enterprises.
• Farmers will get adequate time to prepare for the disaster or even move away from areas in danger. For example, in low lying areas where flooding is most likely to occur and weather conditions are predicted to have heavy incessant rains, farmers in such areas are advised to move to higher ground for their safety and that of livestock animals.

Disaster preparedness

The state and the farmers should be ready and prepared to manage and reduce the amount of damage caused by natural disasters to agricultural activities.

• The first step is to make farmers aware of the natural disasters that are being forecasted. Resources are mobilized and placed in strategic positions. Such resources will depend on the nature of the expected disaster. Medicines, food aid, tents, water, vehicles and funds are some of the resources that may need to be set aside in preparation for natural disaster occurrence.
• Trained personnel from the Civil Protection Unit, voluntary organizations and the army are usually
• deployed to meet challenges of natural disasters such as floods.
• As forecasting of natural disasters can never be accurate all the time, farmers are encouraged to insure their farm businesses against such risks from natural disasters.
• Veld fires can be wild and difficult to control.
• Environmental laws in Zimbabwe require farmers to put in place conservation structures such as fire guards to prevent spread of fire and uncontrolled destruction of vegetation and wild animals. It is therefore very important that farmers comply to environmental laws.
• Neighboring farmers can also form farmer network groups and set aside resources that can be used to combat fire outbreaks in the event of the occurrence of veld fires.
• Dams are constructed to catch flood waters and reduce the risk of flooding downstream. Construction of dams can also be done in preparedness for droughts and to combat the effects of drought conditions.
• Conservation structures to reduce the risk of disasters
• Conservation structures such as dams and fire guards can be constructed or be put in place to reduce the impact of natural disasters.

Dams

Surface runoff resulting from high intensity rainfall and reduced infiltration, if not properly channeled and guided, can result in floods. Dams collect all the surface runoff collected from surface drainage. The water is stored in the dam and will not cause damage to crop, livestock and infrastructure.

Dams collect surface runoff from rainfall which when not collected and stored ends up in the sea. Water stored in dams can later be used during drought periods to irrigate crops and for supplying livestock animals with drinking water. The impact and risks suffered from drought effects on farm production is therefore reduced through dam construction. Osborne dam along Odzi

river in Manicaland is an example of a dam constructed for irrigation purposes to fight drought effects on agricultural production.

Drainage systems

Storm drains and water ways are very important in channeling surface runoff away from crop lands and livestock units to prevent flooding and production losses.

A farm should have a well laid out drainage system that prevents buildup of volumes of water during heavy rains which result in flooding. Blocked drains should be cleared of soil and materials that block the flow of water. Farmers should avoid stream bank cultivation and activities that result in siltation of rivers and dams as these promote flooding.

Fire guards

These are long stretches of land cleared of grass and trees. Their purpose is to act as fire breaks, where veld fires cannot cross to the other side. Farmers are required by environmental laws of Zimbabwe to construct fire guards to prevent rapid spread of veld fires beyond control. Fire guards prevent considerable damage to crops, plantations and farm infrastructure. The fire guards can be constructed surrounding property to protect it against the risk of fire damage.

Constructing a fire guard

• Select a site for construction of a fire guard within the school or local community.
• The fire guard siting should be such that it prevents veld fires to reach property, livestock units and cropped land prone to fire damage.
• Using a tape measure and steel or wooden pegs, measure a band width of about 4 to 6 metres wide marking the positions for measured width using pegs hammered to the ground. The wider the fire guard, the more effective it is in preventing spread of veld fires.
• Clear the marked area of grass and small shrubs, leaving the whole stretch of land bare so that fire will not cross the fire guard from one side to the other side.