Climate Change:Threat to food security in SADC region

By DOREEN NAWA

CLIMATE Change is a source of threat to food security to communities in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region, Malawi’s ministry of Information and Civic education permanent secretary Lucky Sikwese has said.

Mr Sikwese  said the threat ranges from irregular rainfall patterns, scarcity of natural resources, and fight over access to resources, internal displacement to forced migration.

“All these threats more often than may culminate into a threat on human health, I am glad that SADC has brought the media on board in addressing climate change. Climate change is now emerging as a key development issue for Africa and we therefore cannot afford to relegate it on our development agenda,” Mr Sikwese said.

Mr Sikwese said climate change is a new phenomenon that has generated a lot of interest from various stakeholders.

He said the phenomenon has brought with it a new dimension to the development agenda which includes financing strategies and mechanisms and business models that foster sustainable development for economies, increasing opportunities for growth for the disadvantaged.

Mr Sikwese was speaking in Lilongwe at the opening of the SADC Media sensitization workshop on Climate Change and entrepreneurship reporting recently.

He said the SADC region must enlist the help of the media to effectively communicate the region’s efforts to respond to challenges imposed by climate change.

He said the media as media personnel are well positioned to disseminate information and in turn influence opinions of your audiences thereby fostering a sense of personal responsibility and greater motivation and commitment towards sustainable development.

He said Africa’s climate change vulnerability is deepening, making it the most vulnerable region in the world to the impacts of climate change hence the need to be innovative and treat it with vigilance.

Mr Sikwese said the media must maximize their role as agenda setters and opinion influencers in addressing issues of climate change in the region.

He has since pledged support and partnership as the SADC secretariat in working with the media in addressing climate change issues.

“It is it is my sincere hope that the SADC secretariat’s partnership with you, will help harness communication efforts aimed at not only creating awareness of the challenges brought about by climate change but also underlying opportunities that may the arise in the wake of adverse climate conditions.

He has since called on the media in the region to ensure that their reporting dairies include ideas on establishing the link between climate change and the positive aspects that come with changing climatic conditions.

And lead consultant Batisani Munyaradzi said agriculture sector is one of the major contributors to the effects of climate change giving an example of the use of fertilizers as one of the practices that has an adverse effects on climate.

“Agriculture is not as innocent as we think, look at the use of fertilizers in agriculture, it has nitrogen which contributes to polluting the air,” Dr Munyaradzi said.