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Vulnerability to climate shocks such as this drought is destroying the local livelihoods of small-scale farmers and herders. Already, pastoralists are losing thousands of animals, and the livestock market in places like Kajiado County has collapsed. Scientific evidence points to the frequency of droughts, floods, and other extreme climate events, as damaging to the climate system. The climate crisis has long been a conversation for global events and seminars, like the upcoming 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) in Egypt. However, communities that experience its greatest impact, and hence cannot meet their household food needs, need their voice to be heard.
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So, what do we do today to avert the next drought? Investments in responsive drought warning systems need to increase. Weather and climate forecasting should provide informative and operational data that can help in projecting future droughts and flood episodes. This should be coupled with clear, simple, useful, and usable information that is critical to enable proper preparedness and response by communities. It will help safeguard lives and livelihoods.
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So, what do we do today to avert the next drought? Investments in responsive drought warning systems need to increase. Weather and climate forecasting should provide informative and operational data that can help in projecting future droughts and flood episodes. This should be coupled with clear, simple, useful, and usable information that is critical to enable proper preparedness and response by communities. It will help safeguard lives and livelihoods.
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