Explain how the following climatic factors influence crop farming in Kenya.

      

Explain how any two climatic factors influence crop farming in Kenya.

  

Answers


Maurice
(i) Winds: Strong winds may be detrimental to farming of some crops for example coffee. Winds also accelerate evaporation directly from the soil and also affect transpiration. In West Africa, for example, winds have a marked effect on the cocoa plantations as they always threaten the pods that hung precariously on the plants. Conversely, sea breezes and light winds are advantageous to plants like coconuts and coffee. Where winds are a hazard to crop growth, shorter crops like cotton stand better chances of attaining maturity.


(ii) Temperature: The degree of warmth, duration and intensity of sunshine affect crop maturity. Many garden crops and crops, for example, are not able to withstand extreme diurnal temperature variations. Sunshine accelerates ripening and improves the quality of the final products. The quality of pyrethrum decreases as temperature increases. Temperature is also important in determining the water content of soil and influences the rate of photosynthesis and the general growth of plants.



(iii) Moisture: Moisture refers to the water available either from the atmosphere or from the ground. The distribution and actual availability of moisture is important for crop farming. Different crops have different moisture requirements. For example, while cotton is supported by about 750mm of rainfall, this amount is inadequate for tea growing. In cases of inadequate moisture crops adapt themselves through various mechanisms including having thick barks to prevent excessive loss of water, long taproots and needle like leaves.
maurice.mutuku answered the question on August 15, 2019 at 05:42


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