Riya Bhagwan 
As climate change continues to threaten the viability of sugarcane crops, the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji is urging farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices.
Sugarcane burning has been identified as a common practice that negatively impacts both crop productivity.
Senior Scientific Officer (Agronomy) at SRIF, Nazeea Bano, says farmers often burn their cane during the harvesting season which also harms soil health and negatively impacts the environment.
“When you burn sugarcane, it usually burns at around 400 degrees Celsius and along it we lose a lot of nutrients, those are the major nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, all of these nutrients are lost – around 90% of the nitrogen is lost and if you look at the climate side, it contributes to carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, all of these gases are emitted, that contributes to climate change.”
Nazeea Bano
Bano says by using organic matter farmers can maintain soil health and enhances its ability to retain nutrients, even during heavy rain.
“Because with climate change, you know that the intensity of rain increases, the frequency of rain increases, most of our farms are up on the slopes, are in the hilly areas, so along with the rain, all these nutrients, it gets eroded away, so one way the farmers can do is retain their trash, that will help retain all the nutrients.”
SRIF Chief Executive Dr. Vinesh Kumar adds the Institute remains focused on initiatives aimed at combating the impacts of climate change.
