By Richard Chidowore (This is the third in a series of four articles about the drought in southern Africa and its implications)
Three years of below average rainfall in most of southern Africa have brought new ideas in agriculture the region’s economic backbone. More farmers are now shifting from maize to food crops that are more drought resistant.
Maize, the traditional food crop in this region is being side-lined in favour of millet, sorghum and sunflower which can survive in low rainfall. Seed sales at Matopo Research Centre, outside Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city, show that people are shifting towards these crops.
According to Cephas Msipa, Chainnan of the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), there is a stampede to buy drought resistant seed packs at the Centre.
“This drought has created an awareness among people to grow their own food, and not to rely entirely on food that is grown elsewhere,” noted Msipa.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting the growing of drought-resistant seeds in Malawi and Zambia for distribution in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
However, the question most farmers are asking is whether rain would come in time for the planting season. They have bought seed packs, few have prepared the land, yet the majority have their eyes to the sky, anticipating the first rains.
Zimbabwe’s Meteorological Department has advised people in the wet areas to plant with the first rains while urging those in dry areas to be cautious before they can plant any crops.
Meanwhile, more than 800,000 communal and resettlement farmers stand to benefit from seed-packs being distributed in each of Zimbabwe’s eight provinces.
Government, with the help of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), has deployed tractors in each province to help farmers who have lost much of their draught-power – cattle and donkeys.
Drought has killed more than 370,000 cattle this year alone in Zimbabwe.
“Our cattle have died in their thousands. Those alive are too weak to pull the plough,” said Gary Magadzire, president of Zimbabwe National Fanners Union (ZNFU)
Zimbabwe, normally a food exporter, is currently buying maize from United States, Mexico and Argentina. It needs to import more than 2 million tonnes of grain to feed its people until the next harvest.
Normally, South Africa produces an average of 8 million tonnes of maize, but only 2 million tonnes were delivered to its GMB this year. This means the rest has to be imported.
South Africa’s farmers require drought aid and agricultural unions are urging banks and other financial institutions to help farmers to continue to produce food.
The state of agriculture in other SADC countries is not promising.
Crop production has been reduced by more than 70 percent in Namibia because of the drought; most of Botswana’s maize crop failed and two years of below average rainfall have severely affected Lesotho farmers. Swaziland, normally self-sufficient in maize, had a disastrous harvest.
Zambia’s agriculture reform programme, which aimed to produce enough maize for domestic consumption has collapsed under the current drought. Close to two million people there require emergency food aid.
Botswana, like other countries in the region, is assisting its farmers to cope with the drought. Farmers in this mostly desert country are getting a government grant of US$38 per hectare up to a maximum of five hectares. They are being advised to engage draught-power or to hire tractors from outside the country.
“This will make it necessary for farmers to plough as early as possible in the coming season”, said Botswana’s Minister of Agriculture, Kebatlamang Morake.
Livestock conditions especially in the eastern parts of the country, where most of the arable farming is concentrated has deteriorated. This has happened despite government subsidies and numerous support programmes.
Drought has also gripped neighbouring Namibia, where communal farmers along the border with Angola arc now driving their livestock across the border daily in search of pastures.
According to Chief Extension Officer, Erastus Auino, although Angolan authorities allowed Namibian farmers to take their cattle into the country for grazing, the farmers were not entitled to establish permanent cattle posts. They were only permitted to go in and return the same day. But many Namibians arc currently living in Angola with their livestock to avoid the daily trek.
Namibia needs to import 43,000 tonnes of food aid. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has indicated that more than 625,000 people in Namibia require assistance in the form of cereals and other related support.
And in Lesotho the drought is said to be the worst since 1933 – the monstrous year of “red dust” which saw streams turning into gullies while some plant and animal species disappeared. Rains in October last year could not repair the damage caused by rain failure in 1991 and conditions were worsened by high temperatures early this year.
Meanwhile, the world community has responded to the region’s plight in different ways.
The British government has committed over US$97 million to assist in the recovery of regional agricultural industry. It is funding projects in Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
The United States, the Netherlands and other European countries have also pledged money and food to the region.
Recently, the Organisation of African Unity {OAU) Ad Hoc Committee on Southern Africa appealed to the international community for more assistance to the region.
The rush for drought-resistant seeds, however, is an indication that “we have not failed to perform the role of food basket, but nature has turned against us,” said Cephas Msipa. (SARDC)
