Extreme Weather

Climate change is nothing new in Africa, where weather patterns change according to natural cycles. However, many African countries have for the last decades experienced changes which seem out of the ordinary. More extreme weather, such as heavy rainfall, results in devastating floods. In this account from Adadley in Somaliland, two farmers describe how their farms were damaged by flash floods in the spring of 2009.

A Well-Organised Village

Abdiullahi Hassan Ahmed and Habiba Ibrahim are both farmers in the village of Adadley in Somaliland, the northwestern part of Somalia. They are relatively well-off compared to many other Somali farmers. Abdiullahi grows fruit and vegetables on almost two hectares of land irrigated by a shallow well. Habiba is in a similar situation. Her farm sits on the riverbank, and she is able to draw water from a well. Habiba has been a widow since 2001, but is able to support her five children thanks to her farm.

In this fairly well-organised village, one of the inhabitants owns a truck, which he regularly drives to the capital, Hargeisa, carrying produce from farms to the village. While still poor, Abdiullahi has been able to make a reasonable profit from this trade with the city, spending the surplus on cereals and other food items and investing in his children's education. Like Abdiullahi, Habiba sells most of her produce, either in Adadley or in Hargeisa.

Destruction

The Al-Shabaab militia, which is ravaging South and Central Somalia, and the pirates operating out of neighbouring Puntland, both seem distant menaces to people in the area called Somaliland. But another threat has become more acute: the effects of climate change.

"The flash floods on May 14 this year [2009] were the worst I have ever seen," says Abdiullahi. "My farm was one of the hardest hit, but other farms in Adadley were also severely affected. The flood destroyed my well, and 34 fruit trees were washed away. Even papaya trees, which are usually able to withstand floods, succumbed."

Habiba also suffered: "I lost my well and many fruit trees. My vegetable garden was washed away, along with most of my farming equipment, like shovels, hoes, wheelbarrows and water pipes. All were lost to the flood."

Global Climate Change

Several African countries have experienced sudden and severe floods in recent years. Floods wash away crops, kill animals, and destroy houses and infrastructure. The floods are caused by heavy rainfall over a short time period. Villages and towns not directly affected by the rainfall may also be flooded because they are downstream from the rain catchment area. Deforestation in the catchment area is an important factor in causing and aggravating the effects of floods because it leads to soil erosion, which in turn leaves the ground with less capacity to absorb large amounts of water. It is never possible to attribute a single flood or storm to global climate change, but the floods in Adadley are examples of what will become more frequent if global average temperatures increase by 2 or 3 °C above pre-industrial levels. Abdiullahi and Habiba's losses reveal the human suffering that lies behind the statistics that dominate the debate on global climate change.