Environment – Mazingira Yetu

Eurofishion Song Contest 2020

Sam Dindi — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 13:27:33 +0000

MAZINGIRA YETU SONG BY LARRY WINS THE EUROFISHION 2020 SONG CONTEST

World Fish Migratory Day is one day global celebration to create awareness of open Rivers and migratory fish. This international day of events is coordinated by the World Fish Migration Foundation. On world Fish Migration Day organizations from around the world coordinate their own event around the common theme of: CONNECTING FISH, RIVERS AND PEOPLE.

Eurofishion song contest on October 24^th, 2020 is part of global event about raising awareness for migratory fish and free flowing rivers. This contest is inspired by the famous Eurovision song contest, which was originally held on the same day. Their theme ‘’open up’’ inspired the World Fish migration foundation to use this momentum for river restoration and fish migration, because fish need open rivers.

The 2020 Eurofishion contest was the first time it was being held and it attracted 40 entries from across the world that attracted participants from every age. The 40 submissions were whittled down to 10 incredible finalist from New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Spain, Netherlands, Czech republic, England and the U.S.A.

A global audience was able to watch the 10 amazing videos together with the judges in a two hour zoom session Eurofishion-The Fishy Finale hosted by the World Fish migration secretariat and had a chance to place their comments and ask questions to each of the artist. The third place winner was the (save the fish by North west Children’s choir -nwcc-south Africa . The song was written and composed by an 11 year old Nico Smit that aims at promoting healthy free flowing rivers and the conservation of the fishes living in them.

The second place was swim on up by time-crawls from USA. The song was adapted from suber up and written by Ajr. The song is about the need of the salmons to enjoy free flowing rivers in order to enable them migrate from the ocean to the rivers and this can be achieved if obstacles like dams are removed from the rivers.

The overall winner was Mazingira yetu by Lawrence ochieng (Larry) and Shamir from Kenya. The song was written by Lawrence Ochieng and Shamir, audio recorded by Hit box studios , the video was done by sound34media and supported by Mazingira Yetu Organisation . Mazingira yetu (Our environment) was inspired by the ongoing restoration of River Ngong in Kibra sub county. Pollution of the Rivers in Nairobi through poor solid waste disposal, raw sewer and blocking of rivers is affecting the movement of fish or even killing them all together. Mazingira yetu song highlights the need of each and everyone to play a role in the quest of ensuring our rivers are free from pollution in order to make them habitable to aquatic life forms like fish.

INVEST IN LOCUST EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS

Sam Dindi — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 05:32:57 +0000

INVEST IN LOCUST EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS

By Nyawira Gitaka

While the entire world is fighting a pandemic, in East Africa we are fighting a plague as well. For the past few months desert locusts have invaded the Horn of Africa and are causing destruction of unprecedented proportion. This is said to be the worst invasion in decades with the desert locusts now already spotted in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Desert locusts or, scientifically, Schistocerca gregaria are solitary insects that under the right conditions transform into aggressive feeders indiscriminately attacking all greenery within their path, affecting both humans and animals.

When the alarm was raised by UN FAO in February 2019 on desert locust outbreaks in Yemen and the Horn of Africa, months before the swarms made their way through Ethiopia, that would have been the best time for East Africa to strengthen already existing responses to the credible threat jointly, which is something we completely failed to do.

The threats posed by desert locusts are substantial enough that in 1961 The Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) was created to combat this after a devasting plague in the 1940s that caused a major drought. This then raises some questions, how did these destructive pests pass right through our defenses, what systems are and were in place to not only fight an invasion but prevent one?

It is worth noting that the locust invasion has largely been treated as an agricultural issue due to massive crop damage leading to food insecurity; but on closer examination, it is a multifaceted problem. First, the main contributor leading to the population surges being witnessed are changing weather patterns. The increased rainfall experienced along the Arabian Peninsula favored continuous unchecked breeding of desert locusts, in addition these pests are dependent on wind for migration. It is therefore a climate change issue.

Second, desert locusts being pests means that learning their ecology is vital so as to ensure the control measures utilized are not only effective but safe. It is considered the most significant and dangerous migratory pest in the world solely due to its ability to change not only its behavior but its physiology as well in response to environmental changes. This also important because its developmental stages exhibit different behavior patterns, with the most destructive phase being the hopper stage. This stage also happens to be the stage targeted for control before the adult stage after which control becomes very difficult.

Third and most important is that desert locusts are transboundary pests. This means the safety of a country is dependent not only on its immediate neighbors but far off countries as well, their ability to control or eliminate the menace before it spreads as well as information sharing across boundaries.

With these facts at hand, it is obvious that a one-dimensional approach against an 80 million insect strong swift and ferocious adversary is setting up for failure. This means that an early warning system should and must involve a number of experts so as to obtain information that is robust and can be relied on in making critical decisions. It is unfortunate that most early warning systems are highly disaster driven and abandoned in periods free of any disasters; this being a great example – yet if the economic losses and destruction were to be quantified

what exactly would an early warning system entail? In this case national meteorological services of member states can provide information on weather patterns that inform the migratory route, the entomological societies and ecologists should inform on the latest tools, safest chemicals and approaches of fighting the pests as well as the agricultural, forestry and conservation departments can provide satellite imagery that will help identify potential breeding sites and areas prone to invasions. In many cases, these experts work independent of each other which puts countries and the region as well in a very precarious position.

As much as The Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) exists with countries as member states, it is important that each country has its own system as well localize the early warning system to areas prone to invasions and potential breeding sites. There should be continuous monitoring and surveillance as well as adequately trained personnel on the latest control operations in case of invasions. With localized monitoring and personnel responses come quicker and enhanced early pest control.

A key challenge has also been the communication about the plague to the public. With this being the worst invasion in decades a lot of farmers have never come across a desert locust and have little information about it. In one case a cabinet secretary requested for individuals to take photos of what they thought to be desert locusts and send them through social media for verification and identification. This then became a subject of ridicule on social media and the exercise yielded no results.

Why not have the experts all share information about the desert locusts in simple and effective language? With an early warning system adopted at a local, national and regional level against desert locust invasions, the approach can not only improve responses in case of an infestation but can also reduce the economic and physical destruction in case of an aggressive plague.

The set up of such a system calls for a lot of cooperation and collaboration across and along various lines to secure the region as this is the only sure way to protect against desert locusts in this era of climate change.

A changed world after Covid-19

Sam Dindi — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 07:58:29 +0000

A changed world after Covid-19

by Victoria Wangui

The natural world is thriving as human beings are keeping a distance from each other and the outside world. However, let’s all note that nature has always been minding its own business in its own spaces even in our polluted cities. Birds have always been chirping, lions have been roaring, elephants have been transecting landscapes but we seem never to realize this unless we take some time to tune in to nature. Most species in the animal and plant kingdom, have not had life any easier as their habitats get destroyed, the paths used by their ancestors are filled with human settlements and they have become food and in worse cases their body parts have become medicine and statuses of wealth. Our current situation, the corona virus pandemic, should be a stark image of the damage humans have done and will continue to do to the planet if and only if action, policies and strategies to leave the world a better place are not put in place.

Let us now more than ever remember who we are; a part of nature at a time when a virus – Covid – 19 has taken a toll on our health, our systems and our economy.

As people across the world are connecting to their homes, let us remember that we would like to keep our houses clean, washing our hands often, sanitizing every corner to ensure Covid – 19 does not thrive. Let us also think about other species with which we share this earth. We pollute their environment, their homes, and since they have no ability to sanitize their surroundings, they run away or become part of the endangered species list. We keep our food clean at all times but are we making sure that food for other creatures and even plants is kept clean and safe or are we okay with dumping plastic and chemical waste everywhere with no regard to what other species will eat? In some cases we even choose to eat wild animals in large numbers.

Many animals are carriers of diseases. A term known as zoonosis is used to describe “a disease which can be transmitted to humans from animals”. In this effect, a study proposes that pangolins are the most likely link between the corona virus, bats and humans. To stop the spread of corona virus, China imposed a total ban on trade and consumption of wild animals. This brings in the story of Ebola and how it spread across central Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola is a virus that is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.

As we contemplate the damage we have been doing to the world, including ourselves, let’s develop a collective consciousness on how we are interacting with the planet to prevent future epidemics that will cost us even more than we are now experiencing. The skies have become so clear I could imagine it’s the first time for many people to see clear blue skies. The planet thrives with us locked in isolation for those who must, while others have to adhere to curfews and strict social distancing policies.

However, this does not mean the planet does not need us. We have evolved with the planet from time immemorial. We have impacted the evolution of some species and we have caused the extinction of others. At this particular time, with a pandemic breaking our economy which seems to be driving the human race to rethink what we do, we need to think more clearly about how and why we do what we do. We can choose to drive more species into extinction thereby threatening our own species, or we can choose to co-exist as our ancestors did.

We are social animals and cannot afford to lock ourselves in self-isolation for a prolonged period of time. We desire socialization. It’s in our DNA. Imagine if we didn’t have the internet, how would this experience have been? When we come through this we should remember our impacts as the human race. Climate change is a pandemic and the response, energy and techniques given to the Corona virus need to be reallocated to address not only climate change but poverty, access to education and global health care.

THE AFTERMATHS OF SIO RIVER BANKS BURSTINGS 2020.

Sam Dindi — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 08:32:56 +0000

THE AFTERMATHS OF SIO RIVER BANKS BURSTINGS 2020.

By Caxton G Juma. Coordinator, Samia Ecosystems CBO)

River Sio bursting it's banks has tremendously affected the farming community living adjacent in various ways, more specifically agricultural, ecological, health and economical brackets. During the flooding most of the farmers crops fields were submerged under waters as the flooding came two months after
planting when the crops height was over the knees. The floods have stayed for 3 months. During which all crops beneath waters on the farms were destroyed. Due to the prolonged floods on farming fields, the soils was saturated with water and eventually the soils turned acidic, a condition that hardly supports terrestrial crops life.

This soils acidic conditions might require some intervention measures to reclaim the affected farming fields back to its normal crops production. There also has been acute soil erosion due to large volumes of surface runoff as saturated soils could not withstand heavy rains experienced during this unusual erratic
long rains against the usual long seasonal rains that used to benefit the farmers with high crops yields. This situation entirely have subjected farmers to massive crops destruction. The crops field yields are by no means any harvest for the farmers eventually there is much hunger now and, until next season of
planting probably during short rains towards end of the year.

Ecological effects of Sio River flood evidently have been adverse. Firstly, the top soils microorganisms which supports crop growth have been destroyed due to prolonged floods submerging the farming fields. The mongoose that have been feeding on snakes in the ecosystem have drown and much numbers killed because the wetlands was saturated with water for prolonged period. They have faced extinction because on the main landscape they only scavenge on poultry unlike in the wetlands they feed on snakes, birds, caged black snails and fish among others insects.

A lot of biodiversity in the wetlands have River banks bursting eg Bees among other been tremendously affected by the Sio insects. Birds like guinea fowl also hibernated due to prolonged floods as they normally nest on the ground of wetlands. Sio Siteko wetlands for the first time witnessed massive pollution by on-farm chemicals washed by surface runoff from the farming fields as the floods waters in the wetlands would smell and even change the colour to black and whoever stepped in would itch on body contact. There is Lake Victoria back flow along the mouth of Sio River for the first time in history of Samia Sub County and unlike the case of Budalangi along the mouth of River Nzoia that has been common. Subsequently, fish populations have been affected as fishing require deep lake unlike when fish catch was evident along the Sio River mouth which experience much silt deposits and pollution from on-farm chemicals.

Siltation is rampant due to sugar cane plantation that Busia Sugar Company has tried to establish on Sio Siteko wetlands on wetlands encroachment because had they observed community participation on the entry point they would not be encountering the losses.

URBAN AGRICULTURE-URBAN ENVIRONMENT RELATIONSHIP; EXISTING CONSTRAINTS

Sam Dindi — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 15:34:55 +0000

URBAN AGRICULTURE-URBAN ENVIRONMENT RELATIONSHIP; EXISTING CONSTRAINTS

By Grace Ndinda

In some aspects, urban and rural agriculture are alike. They both use the same instruments, indicators and partnership approaches. However, the difference comes in their environments and scales as the actors involved are different. For this reason, urban agriculture requires its own conceptual framework, which goes beyond the typologies. Unlike rural producers, not all urban producers are devoted exclusively to agriculture, many have add on jobs; this means the level of training and monitoring they require should have specific features tailored to deal with the urban environment. A plot with a variety of crops might have a more sustainable organic management system than an urban garden has, not using agrochemicals does not necessarily mean that the production is organic and conducting organic activities does not mean that they are
sustainable. For example, in the urban agricultural sector as currently in Havana, management and training concerning diseases and pests, soils and the value of the urban soil among other subjects are addressed and discussed generally in the same way as those of rural agriculture.

The current urban design does not favor cohesiveness between urban agriculture productive spaces and already constructed spaces. A design that takes in the relation of other components to the urban environment is imperative. In order to produce benefits on different scales e.g. neighborhoods, zones, municipality, city. The interests of urban farmers and those not directly associated with the production should be taken into consideration in a participatory manner. Research done has been insufficient, concerning the impact that the establishment and management of any of the different types of urban agriculture may have on a particular place within the city. In the case of Nairobi County, there is little information concerning the amount of toxic elements, their accumulation and their presence in for example leafy green vegetables cultivated along
riverbanks like the Nairobi River. It is clear that obtaining and storing water for urban agriculture and reusing water on different scales is not being given the attention required. Urban agriculture needs to enhanced, in terms of higher yields, trade mechanisms and management systems, and in terms of increasing the quality and efficiency of those mechanisms. A broader approach to the evaluation of cost-benefit of production in each of its different modes is needed.

On the other hand, if those who are involved in urban agriculture-technicians,decision makers, officials and all those who in some way participate in this complex environment are not taking into account the environment dimension of this activity or its relationship with other related components in the city, it will be impossible to ensure its real economic,social and environmental long-term sustainability by other means. Those involved directly with urban agriculture require more comprehensive training based on the city’s needs in general and not particularly from the agricultural point of view. The
environment as a subject should be the supporting component of this type of farming.