El Nino spawns hunger in its wake

Lazarus Sauti

Most Zimbabweans are now ‘food insecure’ – lacking access to enough food to lead healthy lives – as a result of an extraordinary drought aggravated by the El Nino event that began last year.

Thanks to El Nino, a recurring Pacific Ocean warming phenomenon that upsets global weather patterns, the country experienced reduced rainfall in 2015.

This drought, coming on the back of poor growing seasons in 2014/5 in many places and described by the Ministry of Agriculture as the worst since 1991 – 1992, has been disastrous for farmers.

“I am very much scared. The situation here in Buhera is bad as most of our crops are wilting,” said Naume Muchenge (30), a small-scale farmer.

Learnmore Mapfumo (40), another small-scale farmer from Chivhu, concurs.

“All hope is lost because of this drought. With no rain, we cannot expect any harvest,” he said.

Crops planted in November in most parts of the country are wilting fast, while some planted in late December never germinated. Thulani Khumalo (52), in Matabeleland South Province, is also feeling the impact of the El Nino phenomenon.

“The worsening drought, induced by the so-called El Nino, has dried up water holes, crops and pastures, and this forced some of us to sell off our livestock for a song than watching them die,” he said.

Another pastoralist based in Masvingo Province, Tarisai Manyora (56) also moaned the deaths of his livestock due to recurring droughts. This is buttressed by the Agriculture ministry’s livestock department which estimated that in one district in Masvingo province last year, more than a thousand cattle died because of drought.

Agricultural economist, Professor Mandivamba Rukuni, says there is need for a thorough assessment of the food security situation in the country with short term, medium and long term solutions put in place to minimise the impact of the drought on both human beings and animals.

He added that the government should also better anticipate consecutive droughts and start importing food before shortages bite the nation.  

“Although the fiscal situation in the country is tight at the moment, the government should proactively source for money to import and boost grain reserves for a minimum of four months to ensure than citizens are safe from food challenges,” he said, adding that the cabinet should announce a Climate Smart Agriculture programme.

“Through this programme, the government and private sector players should invest in research to develop more drought resistant crop varieties for better yielding and tasting. Seed companies should also develop seeds that not only suit local conditions, but are also conducive to prevailing situations” he said.

Ronald Chimunda, an agricultural expert with a keen interest in water harvesting, says there is need for climate change appropriate technologies for agriculture.

Such technologies, he adds, should take in small-scale irrigation development schemes where farmers will be assisted in drilling boreholes that would provide water for the cattle and to irrigate crops.

“On top of investing in irrigation development, the government should empower citizens with skills to collect water. In most areas badly affected by drought, water is present, but farmers lack the capacity to collect and store it,” he said.

Chimunda added that mulching and minimum tillage are other effective ways of conserving limited water supplies, whilst composting can provide additional nutrients to help plants survive.

He also advised farmers, especially herders, to grow fodder in areas that remain fertile even when drought strikes, a fact supported by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

According to FAO, farmers facing more frequent drought need to make plans to prepare for it - including storing cattle feed - before animals start dying.

“What is required is for government in developing states and aid agencies to work with these usually resource-challenged farmers to help them stock enough feed for their animals,” added FAO.

Paddy Zhanda, the deputy agriculture minister in charge of livestock, also urges farmers to destock their herds and remain with a manageable number.

“Farmers should at this point start removing old and poorly producing livestock and sell them. They should remain with a herd that is manageable,” he said.

Collence Chisita, an expert in indigenous knowledge system (IKS) urges farmers to manage their resources and trust their own experiences with weather in accordance with what climate science is saying.

“The government should also urge farmers to go back to some of our traditional crops: sorghum (mapfunde), millet (mhunga) and rapoko or finger millet (rukweza),” he said, adding that there is need to embrace IKS to preserve wetlands and harness ground water.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), part of UN Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies, encourages farmers to plan for the year ahead by planting drought resistant crops which can survive long periods of dryness.

Oxfam, a globally renowned aid and development organisation, believes international support from donors is critical as the government cannot play a significant role since it does not have enough resources.

“Urgent international support is required to support national government efforts.

“The government, donors as well as the humanitarian community should, therefore, immediately come together to coordinate and collaborate on responses within the country,” noted the aid agency, vindicating the saying that goes: “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.”

© Thinking Beyond – March to April 2016.