Drought to hit Zimbabwe this farming season

  1. Posted on Monday 28 September 2009 - 08:20
    ronny zikhali
    Ronny Zikhali, AfricaNews reporter in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
    Zimbabwe is likely to be hit by drought this farming season. The drought forecast by the Association of World Meteorological Services department in Southern Africa in the coming cropping season has become a cause for concern not only to farmers themselves but the entire Zimbabwean nation at large.
    maize
    Farmers who faced a number of challenges in the providing of the nation with adequate food in previous drought years are looking at mitigation measures to lessen the adverse impact of El Nino phenomenon.

    Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union President, Wilson Nyabonda told Zimbabwe’s sole broadcaster, ZBC News in Harare that since the local meteorological office has not yet confirmed a drought caused by the El Nino in the Pacific Ocean, farmers should not relax but work hard with available resources including investment in irrigation schemes.

    Nyabonda said farmers would not be able to do it alone hence government has to come in by availing resources to set up irrigation schemes and construct additional dams to provide enough water for irrigation.

    In addition, the ZCFU President said farmers should understand rainfall patterns in their regions and grow suitable crops.

    Zimbabwe experienced the worst drought in the 1992 to 1993 season which affected many people especially those living in the rural areas.

    The same drought destroyed the national cattle herd and left the majority of smallholder farmers without their source of draught power.

    Experience has it that El Nino induced weather patterns can either lead to floods that destroy crops, infrastructure and kill animals leading to food shortages as was the case in year 2000 or poor rainfall which does not last the whole season.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  13. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  14. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
  15. Algerians vote in parliamentary election10/05Polls have opened in Algeria for parliamentary elections which the authorities have billed as more free and transparent than ever before.
News archive