JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, July 23 (IPS) – Southern Africa was in for quite a surprise as the traditional dry season began in January 2024, with the region recording below-average rainfall.
Countries including Botswana, Mozambique, Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia received less than 20 percent of the rainfall they normally receive in February, making it the driest January/February in 40 years, according to a report released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Agriculture in this vast part of southern Africa has been severely affected, as agriculture is dependent on rainfall and has no access to irrigation systems.
Makinda Marongwe, Oxfam’s Southern Africa programme director, said the region was “in crisis” and urged donors to “immediately provide resources” to avert an “unimaginable humanitarian situation”.
“The urgency cannot be overstated, as all these countries are facing multiple crises at the same time,” Marongwe said.
El Niño, a climate pattern that occurs along the equator in the Pacific Ocean, has had a significant impact on the weather in southern Africa, which Oxfam describes as a “climate disaster hotspot.” El Niño is characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall in southern Africa. This causes the land to dry out, and when it rains, it causes flooding.
Professor Jasper Knight, from Wits University’s School of Geography, Archaeology and the Environment, speaks to IPS about the current extreme weather situation.
“We are in a period of El Niño variability, which has led to a wide variation in local rainfall across southern Africa. Some areas have been very dry and hot, and parts of southern Lesotho are now at risk of drought, according to the International Food Policy Research Center (IFRC),” says Knight.
“But this water crisis is not just about rainfall. It’s also about managing water more effectively in a context where water is already scarce. Southern Africa’s water infrastructure is not fit for purpose and is making matters worse. Developing more resilient infrastructure will help mitigate the negative impacts of rainfall variability. This will help societies cope with drought.”
In addition to crop problems that have led to a very real risk of food insecurity, water shortages have led to widespread cholera. The failure of the rainy season has led to drought, and the fact that the next rainy season is months away is raising fears for the entire region in terms of the economic impact on food supplies and people’s lives, as well as the dangerous health threat.
According to the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), Southern Africa is in a state of emergency.
“The situation is dire and requires immediate attention,” FANRPAN said in a recent media briefing. “Wide-scale crop failures are looming in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Livestock are dying at an alarming rate due to lack of water and vegetation.”
“The movement of desperate people and animals is spreading diseases, including those that can be transmitted to humans.”
Zambia declared a drought disaster on February 29, and Malawi’s president followed suit on March 23, the fourth year in a row that weather conditions have caused this to happen.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said El Niño was “exacerbating the devastating impacts of the climate crisis in Malawi”. Zimbabwe also joined in early April.
Reuters reported that Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said more than 2.7 million people will go hungry in the country this year and that more than $2 billion is needed to support the national response.
Joe Glauber, a senior researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), spoke to IPS.
“This year’s El Niño-related production shortfall is partly offset by larger shipping stocks from the large maize harvests in 2022 and 2023. A poor crop has led to increased imports from countries such as Zimbabwe. Exports are expected to decline as stocks in the region draw down. The upcoming La Niña is expected to bring needed rainfall to the region later this year, meaning any drought-related shortfalls will be relatively short-lived.”
This hopeful outlook is echoed in a blog post by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on April 10, 2024, titled “South Africa Drought: Implications for Maize Production,” by Joseph Glauber and Weston Anderson. “Unlike the back-to-back droughts of 2014-2016, when South Africa, a major producer and exporter, experienced two droughts, this year’s drought follows a year of good harvests and increased stocks. Larger initial stocks will help cushion the impact of the current drought. However, supply from outside the region will be needed to meet consumer demand, and exports to markets outside South Africa are likely to decline.”
Drought and the resulting extreme hardships are undoubtedly wreaking havoc in the region. Food reserves in countries like South Africa will go some way to alleviating the crisis, and we hope that this spring will bring sufficient rain and good harvests.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal Source: Inter Press Service