Living with climate change

Rural communities in Africa have already been hit hard by climate change. Rainfall is becoming more erratic, leading to droughts and floods that devastate families’ livelihoods. Yet by taking simple measures such as composting manure and planting trees, we can help families to nurture their land and help protect themselves against environmental challenges. It’s a natural approach to farming which is kind to the environment too; independent research carried out for Send a Cow indicates that our programmes absorb more carbon than they emit.

Soil and compost

Most farmers in Africa rely on rain-fed agriculture on tiny parcels of tired land. For many of them, training in how to make and use compost is often the first step of an incredible journey out of poverty.

By learning how to produce more food from their plots using composted manure, farmers no longer need to destroy forests to open up more land for cultivation. And because compost increases the water-holding capacity of the soil, it protects the land against both floods and droughts. This increases the amount of vegetation that can be grown, which in turn absorbs carbon from the air.

Compost can also replace commercial fertilisers (although most farmers we work with cannot afford these). But because such fertilisers are made from fossil fuels, they don’t protect the land for as long as composted manure.

Another soil protection technique used by farmers is contouring, which limits the effects of heavy downpours by helping to prevent precious top soils being washed away.

Livestock

Globally, livestock emissions are a major contributor to climate change. Yet African smallholders in our projects integrate them into a mixed farming system that is very sustainable. Animal manure is used as compost; while food for animals is produced largely on the farm, rather than transported long distances.

What’s more, farmers own just a few animals rather than huge herds; and practice stall feeding, which limits the environmental damage caused by grazing. Good feeding practices reduce livestock emissions.

Trees and grassland

All farmers who receive dairy cows have to plant leguminous fodder trees and establish a fodder grass crop – often on land that could not be used for crops.
This not only provides food for livestock, it helps to protect the environment and the soil.

Trees capture carbon through their leaves and trunks and nitrogen through their roots. Farmers take prunings from the trees and fodder grass to feed their animals, leaving the maximum amount of biomass in the fields to continue absorbing carbon. Tree roots also bind the soil together, increasing its water-holding capacity, and can be an effective measure against soil erosion when planted on sloping land.

We also train families in our projects in making fuel-saving stoves. These use approximately one-third of the firewood of a traditional open fire, so families no longer need to destroy the forests to get fuel. What’s more, most have chimneys that take away the smoke, resulting in both health and social improvements as families come together to cook in a newly smoke-free environment.

Small is beautiful

Global agriculture, in particular livestock farming, has attracted heavy criticism for its environmental impact. However, the natural farming approach promoted by Send a Cow among small-scale farmers in Africa is very different from the intensive farming systems of the developed world. Recent independent research carried out for Send a Cow showed that overall, our projects have a positive impact on the environment and that we capture more than twice as much carbon as the programmes emit.

“It still rains twice a year – but not as much as it used to,” says Fred Byagatonda. “But even if it doesn’t rain, we can use Send a Cow techniques to help us grow food.”

At their home in Rwanda, Fred, his wife Florence, and their seven children now have a thriving kitchen garden. It produces aubergines, cabbages, carrots and green peppers, to add to the staples of beans and sorghum they grow in their fields.

Their dusty soil is nourished with composted manure from their dairy cow, Imararunga (“Companion”) provided by Send a Cow. She also provides milk for family consumption and for sale.

The family cooks on a fuel-saving stove, using far less wood than a traditional open fire. Furthermore, Fred and Florence have actually planted trees – 500 of them, to provide fodder for Imararunga.

Thanks to milk and vegetable sales, the couple can pay school fees, and are improving their house. Fred says their success is due to the fact that they now think differently about their resources.

“I learnt from Send a Cow how to use a small piece of land to grow many crops,” he says. “I can grow enough food for my family and I have a surplus to sell. I use every piece of land I have.”