People with disabilities and their families already face food shortage on daily basis. According to the World Bank and the Botswana National Disability Policy 66% of people with disabilities in Botswana reside in the rural areas with poor families often in extreme poverty. This is against the knowledge that climate change is projected to exacerbate food shortage and malnutrition in the world poorest regions. Hence for people with disabilities the impacts of climate change are disproportionately impacting them and undermining their rights, including the rights to food and nutrition, safe drinking water and sanitation. As result climate change will increase hardship for people with disabilities by reducing their already compromised quality of life. The ability to adopt livelihoods opportunities and resilience are all anticipated to decline in changing environment. As result failure to include PWDs in climate mitigation and actions may result in outcomes that are inconsistent with their

+ View more

rights. The exclusion of PWDs from the planning, implementation and monitoring of mitigation measures means that the potential contribution of the disability community in the Okavango District to reduce carbon emissions may take time to be realised. There is no literature to date that discusses the vulnerability of people with disabilities against the impact of climate change in Botswana. However globally it has been realised that generally people who are culturally, economically, institutionally, politically, socially or otherwise marginalised like people with disabilities are particularly at risk of harm from the adverse of climate change. The topic of disability and climate change is about equality and justice. It is about hope and innovation. It is about working together with people with disabilities to create awareness, understanding and solutions (2019 UNDP Report).

Mwatumwaya farm in Etsha 6 for people with disabilities established by the Okavango District Council has already experienced the rising temperature and increasing extreme weather events have its negative events in their practice of farming. However despite the challenges presented by global warming which is now an indisputable fact. Mwatumwaya Rehabilitation Centre has been practicing dry farming from their seven (7) hectors of land in Etsha 6 since 2019 until now. They have managed to produce 32 *50 Kg bags of beans and 5*50Kg bags of maize in 2019 while in 2022 total 44*50 Kg bags of beans were produced. The explained agriculture production was achieved with climate change effects challenges especially in 2022 where farmers experienced heavy rains during the last maturity time of the beans. This made it difficult for disabled farmers to harvest their produce. The rain could not allow the farmers to work while at the same time because farmer?s disability they were unable to work faster during the dry days.
Additionally farmers with disabilities experienced pests and diseases which attacked crops and affected production. Hence MRC has realised that without crop protection the losses will double. In order to deal with the increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and storm, it is in this regard where MRC would like to engage in Climate-smart agriculture (CSA). In order to raise agricultural production in a sustainable manner, having to adapt to and construct resilience to climate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of the project is to achieve sustainable agricultural growth and food security in the face of climate change through the use of hydroponics. The hydroponics agriculture will give benefits in addressing drought by using drip irrigation systems which uses less water required by the traditional agriculture. Including less use of fuel input, using renewable energy sources like solar panels and renewable energy powered water pumps will be critical for energy efficient food systems. Furthermore hydroponics is labour intensive and man powered. No tractors or combines can do the work and this alone means no fossil fuel are used in the farm. The tractor will be used only at the stage of tilting and leveling off the ground, preparing for putting up the hydroponics structure

- Hide