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Obert Chifamba
Agri-Insight

Over 3 500 drought-inspired cattle deaths in one province over the last four months.

Such are the statistics coming from Matabeleland South.

This is a mirror of what could be happening in other outlying arid regions of the country where finding pasture and water is a challenge at this time of the year, thanks to the El Nino-ruined 2023/24 summer season.

This was a season everyone would like to quickly forget, as both crops and livestock were at the centre of a concerted bombardment from unruly weather elements.

In agriculture, such a matter instantly assumes the status of pressing stuff and therefore requires urgent attention.

This unfolding tragic phenomenon of drought-inspired cattle deaths may not only be hinting at the possible colossal economic losses farmers may incur, but also paints a bleak picture of the future of the national herd if it is not arrested in time.

Sooner or later, this catastrophe may spread to regions that are currently safe especially with the traditional October heat now just a stone throw away.

This makes it crucial for all stakeholders – the Government, private sector, civic organisations and the farmers, to name just a few, to urgently implement effective solutions and mitigate the impact of these cattle deaths on both livelihoods and the agriculture sector as a whole.

In fact, everyone from village level to Government workers and developmental partners must be involved to make sure this clear and present danger is averted.

If citizens do not come together and work together there are chances of the country’s most valuable resource and source of wealth – cattle – getting ravaged into oblivion by this current drought?

One thing for certain is that the drought has just reared its ugly head when everybody least expected it.

Traditionally, the drought season takes effect in October when the sun will be blisteringly too hot to spare anything on the earth’s surface be it water or vegetation. And now that the unusual has happened, everyone needs to act in the same manner they do in a state of disaster to make sure the drought does not ruin the fruits of the hard work the country has been investing in re-building the national herd.

It is, however, refreshing to note that Government has since started rolling out a livestock feeding programme that is accompanied by enhanced surveillance and provision of water to ensure the country’s 5 718 523 cattle herd survives the drought.

These efforts are coming at a time when the private sector has also taken the cue and started importing 400 000 tonnes of grain that will go towards stock feed.

The fact that the drought of last season did not spare any part of the country makes it imperative for these relief efforts to be rolled out in many parts of the country versus a constricted resource base.

Last season’s El Niño phenomenon led to widespread depletion of pastures across the country while the subsequent crop failure also deprived farmers of the crop residue they usually put aside for dry season feeding.

This has pushed farmers into a ‘catch-22’ kind of scenario in which they have to scrounge for food for themselves and their livestock at the same time.

Under such circumstances the natural and normal thing is for them to first save human lives before turning attention to livestock, which they are doing, albeit inadequately.

Essentially, the Government’s borehole drilling programme coincided with a time when even humans in some parts of the country are struggling to find water for their needs, which makes it crucial for more boreholes to be sunk so that water can be readily available for both people and livestock.

The situation panning out at the moment is naturally a threat to both humans and livestock but people should always try to strike a balance in the efforts being made to mitigate the problem.

At a time like this when the majority of smallholder farmers, who incidentally have no capacity to readily protect their livestock from vagaries of weather, are producing crops under Government’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, it should be easy to have extra land to produce fodder.

Fodder will come in handy when the season goes awry like what happened in the 2023/24 term.

Those farmers who have access to irrigation facilities can even produce in excess and later sell those in need thereby generating some income.

Producing their own fodder comes with less costs compared to buying stock feeds from retailers and allows them to keep their animals in good shape even if the weather is bad.

It is also important for farmers to take extra care of their animals and even accompany the animals to water points and ensure they drink water and return safely.

In recent times there are growing cases of animals dying after getting stuck in muddy waters.

In general, water is the most important component of nutrition for animals so farmers must make sure livestock get enough of it during this time of the year. Giving animals safe access to water is also one way of taking care of poverty deaths.

Other than improving access to water, farmers can also practise pen feeding to help animals retain the energy they have in their bodies.

This may also entail farmers moving around and sourcing various edible materials that may help keep animals alive until the next season.

The solution to this problem, however, lies in farmers adopting long-term measures that include production of fodder legumes and grasses on large tracts of land.

Since its becoming custom that each household should have five plots under Pfumvudza/Intwasa, it only makes sense that the rest of their land should also be committed to producing fodder legumes and grasses for their animals.

The long and short of my argument is that farmers must make it a rule of thumb to allocate land for growing silage crops such as African peas, sorghum and maize, not for human consumption but for sustaining their livestock through the dry seasons. The time is nigh for farmers to read between the lines and not wait for the Government to be always bringing solutions for them when they have solutions within their sights every day.

They just need to adopt a culture of treating their livestock as dependants that can easily take the brunt of difficult situations if they are not protected.

Given that it is becoming increasingly difficult to foresee the nature of any farming season it can only make sense for farmers to always include livestock in their planning processes just like they do with their cropping options. There should be a piece of land dedicated to livestock feeds every season – period!