Impacts of climate change on my country.

1. Act Now To Help Turn Down the Heat
Prepared by: Johnson S. N. Williams
This presentation is prepared for students in universities and secondary schools. Based on the
knowledge gained from MOOC, I have chosen the topic: “Impacts of Climate Change on
Food Production and Agriculture – A Look at Liberia’s Situation”. With the knowledge
gained from the MOOC training courses, couple with information gathered from recent
studies and publications on Liberia, this resource artifact is intended to share with the student
community the latest findings of the impacts; this will arouse the interest and join the
campaign “ACT NOW TO HELP TURN DOWN THE HEAT; ELSE IT IS TOO
LATE”.
Liberia is situated at the southwest corner of the West Coast of Africa. It lies between the
longitudes of 7°30 ́ and 11°30 ́ west and latitudes 4°18
́ and 8°30 ́ north. It covers a surface area of about
111,370 square kilometers (about 43,506 square
miles). The extent of its dry land is 96,160 square
kilometers or 37,570 square miles (UNDP Liberia
2006). Liberia is bordered on the west by Sierra
Leone, on the north by Guinea, on the east by Côte
d’Ivoire, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The
country has an estimated population of 3.4 million
people (LISGIS, 2008). It has two seasons: rainy and
dry. The rainy season runs from May to October while
the dry season runs from November to April.
The Liberian farming system is characterized by shifting cultivation, which has led to the
conversion of extensive areas of forest into farmland and grassland. Rice is our staple food,
while cassava is our second major food crop. According to recent studies, due to several
poverty dimensions, farmers continue to lack necessary capacities to produce substantial
amount of food. “Overall, Liberian farmers are resource poor and invariably produce at a
subsistence level. Against the background of limited resources, the typical Liberian farmer is
faced with numerous biophysical constraints, including low-yielding crop varieties, pests, and
diseases, as well as poor soil conditions (Karmorh, Jr. S. B. et al., 2010)”.
The main sources and sectors of greenhouse
gas emissions here in Liberia are human
factors attributable to the extensive shifting
cultivation of the forests for farming, and the
production of charcoal; another emerging
factor is the increased use of motorcycles in
our transportation modes and network services.
Based on the farming factor, it is projected that
the impacts on agriculture will vary from
region to region. For example, hotter regions
will become wetter and wetter becoming
hotter. It is very troubling because the increase in temperatures is mostly to affect foodproductive regions.

2. What I would consider mitigation measures
currently in place is Government of Liberia
policy on harnessing clean and efficient
renewable energy sources. For example, there
is significant effort being made to invest in
hydro power generation. But I also think
Government is not decisive on land use and
agricultural production. For example, there is
also huge investment of millions of dollars in
the agricultural sector, managed by the
Ministry of Agriculture. Government is
investing in both upland and lowland food production instead of promoting lowland farming
which has huge economic benefits and growth potentials. Additionally, there are no clear
policy measures on charcoal production and regimes on the importation and use of
motorcycles in the transport sector. Promotion and investments in hydro power and solar
energy sources and lowland farming will immensely contribute to the reduction of emissions
of GHG and provide huge social and economic benefits.
There is no clear proactive and reactive adaptation measures in place yet. In fact, Karmorh,
Jr., et al, recommended a number of policy measures to the Government of Liberia, which to
a larger extent will make farmers to adapt in response to the impacts of the climate change.
We are grappling with the threats of coastal
erosions due to sea-level rise; we have faced
severe flooding in recent time across the
country; we are faced with violent heat and a
distorted climate season; the increase in
temperatures has already impacted food
production and agricultural activities as
evidenced by low yields, soil conditions, pests
and diseases. All stakeholders (citizens and the
Government) MUST ACT NOW!
o Citizens should maintain a clean and safe
environment, and engage in a treeplanting initiative in your community;
o Observe one day National Environmental
and Sanitation Day;
o Government must discourage upland
farming and shifting cultivation;
o Government must prioritize and make
significant investment in lowland
mechanized farming and food production;
o Government must develop and implement
clear policy interventions on clean and
renewable energy sources, as well as
implement regimes on the importation and use of motorcycles in the transportation
sector;
o Government and development partners must support advocacy efforts and climate
change champions to create massive nationwide awareness of environmental

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considerations of all agricultural activities by providing students and farmers with the
relevant information on climate change;
Government should revise the education curricula and integrate a comprehensive
syllabus on “Science and Environment” as a subject to be taught in all primary and
secondary schools;
Government must fast track implementation of protecting a 1.5 million hectare (30%)
of forestland as required by the Forest Reform Law of 2006;
Government must make Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) as separate
entity from the Ministry of Agriculture, and increase investment in the institution to
strengthen and support the development of suitable varieties of food crops;
Government must establish, support and adequately equip, through partnership, a
Liberian Meteorological Agency to ensure the collection, interpretation and reporting
of credible climate data, as well as to improve monitoring of the weather and climate
change impacts.