About 14 million people face hunger in Southern Africa because of a drought that has been exacerbated by an El Nino weather pattern, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday. The worst-affected country is Malawi, where 2.8 million people, 16 % of the population, are expected to go hungry, followed by the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar where almost 1.9 … [Read more...]
Treating soil like dirt is a fatal mistake
Imagine a wonderful world, a planet on which there was no threat of climate breakdown, no loss of freshwater, no antibiotic resistance, no obesity crisis, no terrorism, no war. Surely, then, we would be out of major danger? Sorry. Even if everything else were miraculously fixed, we’re finished if we don’t address an issue considered so marginal and irrelevant that you can go … [Read more...]
Temporary drought relief for Aliwal North
Extra water released from the Katse Dam at the end of last year is expected to reach drought-stricken Aliwal North, an Eastern Cape town on the Orange River. Water and sanitation director Margeret-Ann Diedricks gave the go-ahead for the release on December 31 in an effort to stabilise water levels in the Orange River. “The water was observed yesterday near Quthing in … [Read more...]
Farmers seek aid as SA weathers worst drought in 24 years
South African farmers may seek international aid as the worst drought in decades threatens a regional food shortage, according to a farmers’ group. Farmers need as much as 20 billion rand ($1.27 billion), an estimate that will be revised after a more detailed industry assessment is completed at the end of this month, Omri van Zyl, executive director at Agri SA, said in a … [Read more...]
The next great famine
Seven hundred years ago this month, people across northern Europe saw a comet in the sky and feared the worst. They were already running out of food. It had rained too much in 1315—sometimes every day for weeks at a stretch. Wheat, barley, and oats rotted in the fields, and it was too wet to make hay. Then, after an unusually cold winter, the rains started again, and the 1316 … [Read more...]
South Africa on the brink of importing food: Agriculture minister
Farmers across South Africa are losing livestock due to the current drought which may force government to import maize and wheat into the country, Agriculture Minister Senzeni Zokwana said on Friday. “Stats SA notes that the sector contracted by 17 percent quarter on quarter largely due to drought conditions in 2015. The weather forecast (is) that significant rainfall may … [Read more...]
Drought drives SA farmers to seek govt aid
Corn producers desperate for rain and already in record debt will implore the government to provide guarantees for new bank loans as the worst drought in 23 years leaves farmers short of collateral before the new planting season. While grain producers require debt security, livestock farmers may need cash to pay for feed after dry weather since the end of 2014 left grazing … [Read more...]
US agribusiness giant buys major stake in SA firm
US agribusiness giants are taking advantage of the weak rand and depressed farm economy in SA to expand their footprint through tie-ups with local companies with the expertise and customer networks they need to penetrate promising regional markets. Land O’Lakes, a Fortune 500 member-owned co-operative based in Minnesota, posting $15bn in sales last year, is the latest to … [Read more...]
KZN to declare drought emergency
As rivers and boreholes dry up and below average rainfall is expected, the KwaZulu-Natal executive council has announced it intends declaring eight areas to be in a “state of disaster”. This follows a council meeting about the drought situation in the province today. In a statement the province said that another high-level meeting would be held on Tuesday with various MECs … [Read more...]
Banks for bean counters
In the early 1970s Asia’s rice farmers faced ruin. The brown planthopper, an insect up till then found mostly in Japan, began to appear across the region. It fed on young plants and transmitted grassy stunt virus, causing crops to shrivel and brown. As it swept through Asia’s paddy fields, yields crashed. By the end of the decade it had caused damage costing over $300m—more … [Read more...]
Don’t get lost in a sea of climate information
There was a gathering of the Climate Knowledge Brokers Group to road-test the forthcoming ‘Manifesto’ on climate knowledge. Read the highlights of the event and get a preview of the themes of the Manifesto – which will be launched on 17 September. The Climate Knowledge Brokers Group (CKB) is a network of organisations and professionals focused on improving the quality and … [Read more...]
If you ate today, thank a farmer
‘If you ate today, thank a farmer.’ It goes without saying that it doesn’t matter who you are, we all need farmers to survive. We may have different eating habits and preferences; some are vegans, whilst others cannot do without their steak. On the other hand some need their organic tea, whilst others have to have their daily dose of caffeine. The clothes on your back made … [Read more...]
Southern African leaders meet as region faces food crisis
The leaders of 15 southern African countries gathered last week for an annual summit as the region grapples with serious food shortages that have left a record number of people needing aid. A toxic mix of erratic rains, abnormally high temperatures and floods have wreaked havoc on farming, writing off the bulk of this year’s crop. An estimated 27.4-million people out of … [Read more...]
