CLIMATE CHANGES, AND HOW IT AFFECTS TO FARMERS

Last week, I called my mom in Quang Ngai, Vietnam, and I heard that my hometown had flood. That happened in March, when people in my country call it is spring so it is weird to my parents, it’s also make people surprised. Flood occurs frequently in my hometown, so it doesn’t surprise to people, but it usually took place in winter, from October to December. This is the first time that people in my country have flood in March. I think every one know the reason for that is the climate changes; the earth is getting warmer and warmer due to human activities. Climate change affects to many fields of economy, however, I will focus on the effects of it on farmers.

The first effect is that climate changes result in drought, flood and storm, which directly affect to plant. Drought happens will cause farmers don’t have enough water to provide for their farm, thus the result of the farm will low, farmers earn less from their hard working on the farms. Floods and storms bring vegetables, trees to go far away from the farm. For example, the blood last week in my country made farmers loose everything on their farms. That is one of many reasons make farmers suffer poverty for many years. Now, the situation even worse because of the suddenly change in weather that they can’t have preparation, and they don’t know when they should prepare for the changes.

         The second effect of climate changes to farmers is the changing in planting and harvesting schedule. Every year, my country has faced a lot of storm in winter, and the storms now occur more and more frequently. For example, in 2010 we had about 5 big storms from October to December. Last year, we had 10 storms total, and it took place earlier in July. Not only the storms happen more frequently and earlier, these storms are also stronger in the magnitude. Because of those changes in weather, farmers change their schedules in planting and harvesting to avoid being affected from the weathers. It seems like farmers have no effect when they change their planting schedule, however, this change has large consequence in the productivity. Planting and harvesting earlier in spring and summer, when the weather is still too cold or too hot, will cause vegetables and trees grow more slowly. It also cost more for farmers to bring water from rivers to the farms because it usually has drought in summer.

Natural disasters have effects on the economy of all countries where that happen; nevertheless, farmers are affected firstly and seriously. That is the reason why people in the middle of Vietnam work hard, but they still face poverty for many years, and they can’t change it.

        These images above are in the middle of Vietnam last year in the flood, middle of Vietnam is the place where suffers the most storms and natural disasters. 

          Image is about a farmer on her farm after flood. It is very common in the middle of Vietnam after any natural disasters; farmers lose all their capitals and their hard working the whole year.