Migori County Department of Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change will embark on a mission to hold climate change exhibitions with the aim of creating effective awareness campaigns.
Speaking at one of the hotels in Migori town, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Environment and Climate Change, Ms. Rahab Robi, said that the county, together with climate change actors, are at an advanced consultative meeting in preparation to have a county climate change exhibition.
She noted that the goals of the climate change exhibition will be to increase awareness of the available and practical climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as address the inadequate technical knowledge within the county.
Robi noted that the county was already vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and according to the Migori participatory climate risk assessment report, urgent measures were needed to tackle and mitigate the effects of climate change.
The report also provided analyses of the underlying causes of vulnerability and ongoing and potential climate change adaptation strategies. Robi said that the exhibition will provide a platform to acknowledge and celebrate creativity and innovations that facilitate transformations around climate change issues.
According to the Kenya-Migori County Climate Risk Profile of 2021, the climatic predictions showed that the county will remain vulnerable to drought and heat stress that will affect crop and animal productivity.
The county has recently experienced irregular rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, recurrent and lengthy dry spells, and periods of water scarcity.
In 2021, Migori County launched its first-ever green energy exhibition, joining the rest of the world in the race to address the negative impacts of climate change. The exhibition underscored the urgent need to sensitise the public in the region to the use of renewable, green energy.
In addition, The Kenya Vetiver Network (KEVN) introduced a Vetiver Grass in Rongo Sub County as a solution to bioengineering to help solve and address the effects of climate change like drought and soil and water conservation in farms, industrial parks, and institutions.
Migori County, together with the climate change actors, has been initiating ongoing climate change adaptation options that include the use of drought-tolerant and early-maturing crop varieties, digging drainage channels for cut-off drains to address flood mitigation, and the adoption of innovative post-harvest technologies to increase food security in the county.
By Geoffrey Makokha
