THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD SUPPLY: EXPLORING THE SHORTAGE OF FOOD COMMODITIES

 

Picture By: Stilson Robert

  Climate change has a great impact on the food supply. Back then, people especially farmers knew when to grow a particular kind of crop depending on whether it was the dry season or the wet season. Also, people working in the market knew the kind of food commodities they would get to sell to their customers. But now due to some human activities, there have been drastic changes in weather patterns and temperatures. Now farmers and people working in the market turn to worry as they can’t predict when the wet or dry season will begin. Due to these climatic changes, certain food commodities have become have become scarce. Food commodities like yam which is usually very easy to reap in the rainy season become very difficult to reap in the dry season. Some other commodities like plantain become ripe during the dry season. Even though some market women get the chance to sell something in the quest for profit, they also make a run at a loss sometimes. This is because some food commodities can’t survive in hot temperatures. So, in the end, some of the food commodities which are usually very expensive perish and will just be thrown away. These conditions affect not only farmers and people working in the market, but fishermen also. During these hot temperatures, fishes turn to move deeper into the sea making it difficult for those who sell fishes for a living to get them.

Customers also get affected by affected when they can’t get the kind of food commodities they prefer. Customers who prefer green pepper to red pepper do not get their needs satisfied as they can only have access to red pepper because green under hot temperatures does not survive.

These people who have been affected by these changes continue to hope and pray for better conditions shortly.

Written By: Nartey Isaac Bohyeba