During the second term of the 2024/2025 Academic Year, Cari-Bois partnered with the Scotiabank Foundation to empower ten (10) students with climate journalism skills as part of the third edition of Cari-Bois’ Youth Journalism Project. For their first assignment, students wrote an article about the effects of climate change on agriculture. This story was written by Chianti St Louis of Speyside Secondary School.
Over the past several years, Trinidad and Tobago has experienced the effects of climate change which has posed a threat to agriculture.
As a result of the phenomenon, farmers are encountering more unusual weather events, changing growing seasons, and even pests, which can affect food production and the country’s food security.
For example, many farmers are familiar and work with “fixed” growing seasons when they grow crops.
As such, these farmers may depend on a certain amount of rainfall or sunshine during these seasons to grow crops that correspond to the environmental conditions.
If the conditions in these seasons become more “sporadic” and there are drastic changes in the precipitation, and even temperature, then farmers may experience decreased yields especially if they do not adapt to growing their crops in these changing temperatures.
The devastating flooding event, which occurred in Trinidad in October 2018, is one real world example of how extreme weather can affect agricultural activities and result in million-dollar losses for farmers as crops and machinery were lost in one single flooding.
Just four years later in 2022, farmers in Trinidad were once again at the mercy of extreme weather as devastating floods ravaged communities and agriculture activities.
These are just some examples of what have been a recent pattern of increasing extreme flooding events in Trinidad as a result of inclement weather.
On the flip side, when there are prolonged drought periods – or usually warm periods like in August 2023, which is typically the rainy season in Trinidad – farmers are forced to spend more money on irrigation.
When farmers have to spend more money on the inputs they have to use to grow food, this can result in higher food prices for consumers.
Adaptation and Mitigation
Over time, some farmers are employing climate-resilient practices like improving irrigation, drainage systems for better water retention and investing in drought-tolerant varieties for better yields.
With the need for farmers to adapt, there will no doubt be a need for grants to help farmers equip themselves to better adapt and grant funding for researchers to determine methods farmers can adopt to adapt.
The “answer” to climate change is collaborative efforts between farmers, researchers, and decision-makers.
Together, these stakeholders can pool resources together to fund subsidies and seminars to teach farmers how to implement climate change-resilient practices.
By investing in training and technology, Trinidad and Tobago’s food security will be strengthened.
With new skills, plus community support, Trinidad and Tobago should be able to maintain its local food supply and empower farmers to navigate a changing climate.
A very special thank you to the Scotiabank Foundation for supporting the development of young people through initiatives like the Cari-Bois Youth Journalism Project.
