Hidden cost of climate change on food markets

Jane Njoki a trader with her produce at Kawangware market. [Nanjinia Wamuswa, Standard]

A lot of investment and effort directed towards climate change adaptation and mitigation focuses on the farm level.

Yet, the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events and heat stress affect not only farmers and agricultural production but also every stage of the food supply chain.

Jane Njoki is a trader at Kawangware market, where she has been selling vegetables among them tomatoes, onions and fruits such as bananas for the last 50 years.

She has witnessed changing weather patterns and their growing impact on her business. Having started trading as a young girl, Njoki recalls a time when weather was hardly a concern.

Traders understood the seasons and knew when to expect prolonged heavy rains or intense sunshine, allowing them to plan their businesses accordingly.

“Nowadays, as traders, we cannot tell what the weather will be like tomorrow. You cannot even plan for it,” she says.

What is evident, however, is the toll that prolonged periods of intense heat have taken on her business, resulting in significant post-harvest losses as much of her produce spoils before it can be sold.

Jane Njoki a trader with her produce at Kawangware market. [Nanjinia Wamuswa, Standard]

“Extreme heat damages fruits and vegetables. Green peas rot and spoil, onions deteriorate, while bananas turn black, shrivel and eventually rot,” she says.

Njoki also shares that in the past, she would deliberately buy partially ripe fruits so they could ripen gradually as she waited for customers.

Nowadays, rising temperatures cause fruits to ripen faster and sometimes go bad before she can sell them.

Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CGIAR (a global partnership that unites international organisations engaged in research about food security) Director, Climate Action Henri Rueff says that food security depends not only on what happens on farms but also on the effective functioning of the entire food supply chain, from production to transportation, storage, markets and ultimately, consumers.

He says that disruptions caused by droughts and other climate-related shocks at any stage of the food value chain can pose a significant threat to food security.

High temperatures

Rueff shares that market vendors, most of whom are women, often spend between eight and 12 hours standing in the heat while selling their produce.

“High temperatures can cause the food they sell to spoil, resulting in losses. Their health is also at risk, potentially forcing them to leave the markets and return home to recover. This creates a disruption that goes beyond the vendors themselves,” he explains.

Rueff was speaking at a side event titled Beyond the Farm: Drought, Heat and Food Supply Chain Disruption, Building Resilient Agrifood Systems for Nutrition Security in Africa.

 It was hosted by Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CGIAR.

He adds that when markets become dysfunctional because of climate shocks, farmers may also struggle to find buyers or alternative outlets for their produce.

James Bosire, an aggregator, says extreme heat and prolonged drought have increasingly disrupted his business. His business involves collecting produce from different farmers, consolidating it at designated collection centres, sorting, grading, packaging and transporting it to markets, processors and retailers in Nairobi.

Lately, he has been collecting smaller quantities of produce from farmers, making it difficult to meet the demand from his retailers and other markets.

“Most of the farmers say their crop yields have declined because of extreme heat, leaving them with very little to harvest and sell,” he says.

To sustain supplies to his retailers and markets, Bosire is sometimes forced to travel longer distances or source produce from multiple locations. This has increased his fuel, labour, handling and transportation costs.

He discloses that he’s invested heavily in refrigerators, cold-storage facilities and refrigerated transport to minimise post-harvest losses.

“Without these cooling and storage facilities, I had started losing much of the produce, especially highly perishable commodities such as tomatoes, leafy vegetables, cabbages and fruits. Extreme heat increases the risk of vegetables wilting during transportation,” he says.

Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT scientist Rosina Wanyama says beyond the farm, poor hygiene practices also contribute to losses.

Inadequate access to water and exposing produce directly to the ground increase the risk of contamination and spoilage.

Green peas getting spoiled by prolonged exposure to extreme heat at Kawangware market. [Nanjinia Wamuswa, Standard]

“Although we may have substantial food production at the farm level, very little eventually reaches consumers. This is particularly concerning for nutrient-dense commodities such as fruits and vegetables. When their supply is insufficient and they cannot reach consumers’ plates, market prices increase and availability decreases,” she says.

She notes that while investments are made in export value chains to meet international quality standards, including the provision of cold-chain facilities, similar investments are lacking in local food value chains.

Rosina advocates for affordable, low-cost solutions, including solar-powered cold-storage facilities that can help preserve nutritious commodities and reduce post-harvest losses.

She highlights a project involving a partnership with a food bank in Kenya to rescue produce from markets that is nearing its expiry date but remains safe for consumption.

Rosina says: “The rescued commodities are then repurposed and distributed to targeted consumers, helping reduce food waste while improving access to food.”

Adverse effects

Stakeholders have also raised concerns that following a drought, quality seeds often fail to reach farmers in time for the next planting season.

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Seed Systems Director Evelyn Lusenaka explains that drought creates what she describes as systemic seed-security risks.

She notes that seed serves both as an output from one farming season and an input for the next. “When a farmer harvests seed, part of it may be consumed, while some is retained for the next planting season.

When drought occurs, it affects the entire seed production chain,” she says.

Lusenaka says drought in an agro-dealer’s area or a particular village can disrupt last-mile seed distribution, making it difficult for farmers to access quality seed for the next planting season.

Since seed multiplication takes place in the field, seed production is particularly vulnerable to drought and its adverse effects on crop yields.

As a solution, Lusenaka says government support during drought should include seed distribution alongside relief food to help farmers prepare for the next planting season.

“When drought occurs, the government often responds by distributing relief food. However, we rarely see sufficient attention given to the distribution of seed,” she says.

The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry’s 15 billion Tree Growing Programme Director Felix Kisalu says about 90 per cent of Kenya’s agriculture is rain-fed, making forests essential to sustaining agricultural production through their role in regulating rainfall patterns and providing vital water resources.

This underscores the importance of Kenya’s 15 billion Tree Growing Programme, launched three years ago. Kisalu describes the initiative as a game changer in ecosystem restoration.

“Agriculture depends on several interconnected factors, including soil quality, water availability, moisture retention, quality seeds, an adequate workforce and favourable climatic conditions. Trees and healthy ecological systems support all these factors,” Kisalu says.

Stakeholders identified several recommendations for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the African Union to consider in their strategic planning processes to strengthen the resilience of food systems.

Expensive alternatives

They proposed regional harmonisation of cross-border seed trade to allow emergency seed supplies to move from countries with surplus stocks to those experiencing shortages.

There is a need to recognise and support food vendors operating in informal markets.

These vendors play a critical role in food security by providing relatively affordable food, making it accessible to populations that may not afford more expensive alternatives.

“Although informal market operators are often among the most vulnerable to climate-related disruptions, their contribution to food security makes it essential that they receive appropriate support,” Rueff says.

They called for the promotion of shared-economy approaches within communities. Such arrangements could improve efficiency and reduce operational costs by enabling communities to share facilities, agricultural machinery, transport and storage infrastructure.

Since existing climate finance mechanisms do not adequately reach smallholder farmers, improving their access to finance is key to strengthening climate resilience across the food system.

Rueff says that one important step is to identify appropriate de-risking instruments that take farmers’ specific risks into account. “This would enable financial institutions to develop and offer financial products that better respond to farmers’ needs and circumstances,” he notes.