This letter features reporting from "With No Help in Sight, Ghana’s Coastal Farmers Are Drowning in Salt" by Rachel Parsons

Dear Secretary Kevin Atticks,

Many coastal farmers around the world have been pleading for help as their crops have been destroyed due to a high content of salt in the soil, otherwise known as soil salinity. Soil salinity is linked to rising sea levels and overall by climate change. This issue has been leaving farmers with many challenges, which will only worsen over time if they don’t receive the support needed.

In an article titled “With No Help in Sight, Ghana’s Coastal Farmers Are Drowning in Salt” published in The Africa Report and supported by the Pulitzer Center, journalist Rachel Parsons writes about how soil salinity has had a terrible effect on Ghana for years. For example, many coastal farmers say they haven’t received any support, and local agriculture officials can only provide little help due to lack of support from Ghana’s central government. This has affected thousands of coastal farmers who have lost valuable crops, which not only weakens food security, but also decreases their income.

In my home state of Maryland, agriculture is a big part of food production, the economy, and employment. However, less productivity as a result of increased soil salinity can take a big toll on both farmers’ income and the local food supply. Collectively, farmers have been losing approximately 107 million dollars due to the salt intrusion’s fast spread for the past 6 years. According to “Study Finds Sea-Level Rise is Swallowing Farms in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia” published by MarylandToday, damage from the accumulation of salt in the soil, or salt patches, totaled over $427,000 for each farmer, with the annual statewide economic loss averaging around 39-70 million dollars.

While there are some budget-friendly solutions that include planting salt-tolerant seeds, many farmers have rejected the unfamiliar crops as they might lead to poor sales. University of Delaware farm business management specialist Nate Bruce has stated that while farmers are allowed to file for financial support for damages from the local government, salt intrusion is currently not considered as a listed type of damage (offending cause). As a result, farmers have been forced to move off their land and rural communities have suffered from food scarcity. This can also lead to downstream detrimental effects to urban and suburban communities.

This issue has had a huge personal impact on me. Growing up, my parents have helped me appreciate the beauty of quiet, rural landscapes as a change from the suburban and city areas near us. This especially has a big place in my heart because my parents grew up near farming areas of Missouri and Tennessee, which heavily relied on farmers. I also know that although we live in a suburban area, we have experienced the downstream effect of decreased food supply from farmers and increased food prices. A greater understanding of the global and local detrimental effects of soil salinity has driven me to help make a change in my community.

I anticipate that you, Kevin Atticks, would be one of the most suitable people to help our community considering your expertise in implementing agricultural policies and laws, along with directing the actions of the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

For example, I strongly encourage you to classify salt intrusion as an offending cause. This way, thousands of local farmers can more easily receive financial assistance to help repair crop damages. Implementing this policy will bring many positive changes upon us, like helping to sustain food security and our local economy. Another solution is to educate local farmers about salt-absorbant plants, and how to grow them. Many of these are native to the Chesapeake Bay, including saltmarsh cordgrass and cattail. I await your assistance in providing our farmers and our local communities a much needed helping hand.

Sincerely,
Kalyani S. Mishra


Kalyani Mishra is an emerging young leader and sixth grader at Julius West Middle School in Maryland. Kalyani is passionate about learning about the world through travel, different food, and books. She takes interest in geography, world languages and thinking about problems that affect different parts of the world. Thus, this led her to research her topic of soil salinity and how that affects farmers and consumers globally, including in her home state. She takes part in food packing activities on the weekends and is a compost advocate to reduce and reuse food waste in our daily lives. Kalyani is an avid gamer with an interest in technology. She is an athlete with her first degree black belt in karate (pursuing higher), plays basketball, and loves volleyball. In her free time, Kalyani also plays the guitar and loves all kinds of global music. Her other hobbies include cooking/baking, origami, and spending time with friends.

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