Coffee, Bugs & Rust
17/11/09 18:21 Filed in:Film
Well, we're back from Uganda after an excellent week's shoot.
One of the key stories that we were looking to cover was about coffee. We met famers on Mt Elgon near the border with Kenya whose crop has been badly affected by pests that have chomped their way through the Arabica coffee crop which the community depends on. The increasing annual temperatures in the region have also meant that coffee has become susceptible to 'leaf rust".
Are there any solutions for the Ugandan farmers? According to Dr Declan Conway from UEA, in an interview that we have just shot in London, it is poorer communities, who rely mostly on agriculture for their livelihoods that are least able to adapt to the threats posed by climate change. Meanwhile, developed countries that are less reliant on agriculture and have more varied economies are better placed to cope with climate change. It is easier to relocate your service industry to an office higher up the hill as the river floods than it is to acquire new land.
Ironically, poorer countries, who have contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, are the most likely to pay the price for the damage done to the planet. Something tells me that that is not right...
One of the key stories that we were looking to cover was about coffee. We met famers on Mt Elgon near the border with Kenya whose crop has been badly affected by pests that have chomped their way through the Arabica coffee crop which the community depends on. The increasing annual temperatures in the region have also meant that coffee has become susceptible to 'leaf rust".
Are there any solutions for the Ugandan farmers? According to Dr Declan Conway from UEA, in an interview that we have just shot in London, it is poorer communities, who rely mostly on agriculture for their livelihoods that are least able to adapt to the threats posed by climate change. Meanwhile, developed countries that are less reliant on agriculture and have more varied economies are better placed to cope with climate change. It is easier to relocate your service industry to an office higher up the hill as the river floods than it is to acquire new land.
Ironically, poorer countries, who have contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, are the most likely to pay the price for the damage done to the planet. Something tells me that that is not right...
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Carbon Neutral?
16/11/09 11:27 Filed in:Film
Our new film project "Death of the Nile?" looks at the effects of climate change on the Nile Basin.
While its important to highlight the issues surrounding climate change, its hard not to become part of the problem when shooting a film that involves a lot of international air travel. To make this film, we've had to fly from Europe out to the Nile Basin, so to try to help neutralise our carbon footprint, when I got home, I planted an "Umbrella Pine", a "Cyprus Pine" 3 huge Catalpa trees in our garden.
According to Channel 4's Landshare website:
Find out more here:
http://landshare.channel4.com/blog/146
While its important to highlight the issues surrounding climate change, its hard not to become part of the problem when shooting a film that involves a lot of international air travel. To make this film, we've had to fly from Europe out to the Nile Basin, so to try to help neutralise our carbon footprint, when I got home, I planted an "Umbrella Pine", a "Cyprus Pine" 3 huge Catalpa trees in our garden.
According to Channel 4's Landshare website:
According to the UK Government, the average person in the UK has an annual carbon footprint of 10.92 tonnes of CO2 - which is equivalent to the carbon captured by 7 trees in their lifetime.
Find out more here:
http://landshare.channel4.com/blog/146
Yes, we may soon have no bananas
11/11/09 05:54 Filed in:Film
Farmers on Mt Elgon, which rises over 2000m above Mbale in Eastern Uganda have seen the effects of climate change first hand and 'banana wilt' is now a feature that they have to contend with. We visited Wamimbi Weasa, a retired diplomat, who now farms a small holding in the foothills of Mt Elgon. Weasa is also Chairman of the Mt Elgon Tree Farmers Association.
Here’s a brief clip from the filming where local journalist William Odinga goes to meet Weasa to find out more.
Here’s a brief clip from the filming where local journalist William Odinga goes to meet Weasa to find out more.
Banana Wilt from Andy Johnstone on Vimeo.
Elliott's River
08/11/09 18:36 Filed in:Film | Environment
When we were in Uganda in 2008, working on our previous Nile film project, we met and filmed a short sequence with a guy called Elliot who lived in a small squatters village below the hydro-electric dam at Jinja.
We were keen to try and catch up with Elliot for this new film and find out more about his life. Elliot and all the families in his community are completely dependent on the Nile. The fish that Elliot catches in his boat (which he was fixing when we found him) feeds his family and any excess catch is sold for a few shillings.
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Flowers
07/11/09 05:54 Filed in:Film | Environment
Nile Basin countries like Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have developed strong flower and vegetable export businesses, generating millions of dollars in foreign revenues for the local economies. In Uganda, the flower business has developed near Lake Victoria and is worth $40 million to the Ugandan economy.
We visited the Fiduga flower farm about 45 minutes outside Kampala which employs over 400 staff. Here is a brief edit from some of the stuff we shot.
We’re moving up to Mbale tomorrow to shoot a story about coffee.
More later.
We visited the Fiduga flower farm about 45 minutes outside Kampala which employs over 400 staff. Here is a brief edit from some of the stuff we shot.
Flowers from Andy Johnstone on Vimeo.
We’re moving up to Mbale tomorrow to shoot a story about coffee.
More later.
On the Road...
03/11/09 19:08 Filed in:Film
Well, we're just about ready to hit the road for Uganda and as usual the preparations have been dominated by trying to shoehorn the film and photo kit into the smallest number of bags possible to avoid excess baggage fees and all the rest of it.
Thanks to our brilliant fixer William Odinga in Kampala, we have a pretty busy schedule for the 10 days trip, including shoots with various environmentalists and a trip to Mbale to cover a story about coffee. Coffee is the main cash crop in Uganda and coffee growers are suffering from the changing climate which unpredictable storms and rainfall which threatens the crop and the industry.
Flood or drought? Expert opinion is somewhat divided on the Nile Basin's future, but all are agreed that climate change will have a major impact.
Next post from Kampala.
Thanks to our brilliant fixer William Odinga in Kampala, we have a pretty busy schedule for the 10 days trip, including shoots with various environmentalists and a trip to Mbale to cover a story about coffee. Coffee is the main cash crop in Uganda and coffee growers are suffering from the changing climate which unpredictable storms and rainfall which threatens the crop and the industry.
Flood or drought? Expert opinion is somewhat divided on the Nile Basin's future, but all are agreed that climate change will have a major impact.
Next post from Kampala.