By Albert Makendenge
October, November and lately December is usually filled up with heightened levels of anticipation in expectation of the first effective rains that will in turn mark the beginning of a new agricultural season. Not everyone has the resources to make use of both surface and underground water resources for all year round production and the majority can only wait for the skies to open up.
When the skies open up ever so generously and empting up all the moisture sucked up by the sun during the off season, it can sometimes seem to be too much to handle for the plants themselves. Rains are, without a doubt, fundamental to the whole act of farming, without which it would completely be impossible. But only when the drops are served down from the heavens in light showers which seep slowly and softly into the soil, otherwise non-stop heavy rains will leave the plants waterlogged in pools of water. Pests and diseases that love wet conditions go on the rise. Rainy days are also not the best time to go about several farm activities like ploughing and weeding. So in as much as farmers appreciate the precious drops, evenly distributed rain across the duration of any agricultural season is crucial in making way for sunny days that allow for farm activities to be done with much ease.
But who are farmers to tell nature how and when to behave in a certain manner. The best thing that they can do is to stay prepared for any eventuality (pests, diseases) and make full use of the periods when the rain is on a break.