“This is a season that makes you feel that may be God has forgotten you,” says Mukomeza, a pastoralist. Endless cloudless days of glorious sunshine, are not welcomed by all. “The dry season is never good for farmers. Of course it is not all the farmers that find problems with this but most of them don’t wish to face dry seasons,” reveals Majambere, a maize farmer from Kabuga. The sun beats down as Majambere packs his crops into sacks to be taken to market. He huffs and puffs in the heat. Maize, a staple food in the country, is grown on a small scale by many farmers like Majambere. “The dry season can break some farmers,” he explains. Mukomeza agrees. “It is a season when you feel like you should abandon farming. Most of the farms dry up and cattle hardly get grass to graze on. It is even worse when you can’t get water for the cows to quench their thirsty, given the amount of water needed for cows to survive.” Mukomeza continues that this leads to reduction in size of cattle herds and sometimes diseases crop up further diminishing herds. Those who own a lot of cattle, sell off some at a creeping price to try to manage the rest. The price of meat is hiked. Indeed, for the population at large, the dry season means more expensive products. Production of milk, a crucial part of our diet, is low which causes high prices. Majambere explains that the dry season is especially hard for the villagers who cultivate on a small scale like him. “Given the fact that we cultivate on small pieces of land, of about one hectare, you can sometimes yield almost nothing in the dry seasons, if the crops have been seriously affected.” Majambere goes on to explain that the climate has changed now one never knows if it is going to be dry or wet. According to the farmer, dry seasons tend to be longer than they once were. The farmer explains that the dry season has a more long term impact as well. “When you opt to plant, the inputs become too costly.” It is hard to prepare land for crops since the land is dry and you will need a lot of man power, he continues. Majambere explains that few of his fellow farmers understand the phenomenon of global warming. “It is hard to predict seasons and know when it will rain or shine so as to be sure of when to plant or not.” Farmers simply try to anticipate changes according to the previous season, this helps them to prepare extra food during a favorable season and keep it for future use when there is little production. Contasct: tumustere2008@yahoo.com
