Story by Gay Matambo
The government’s Livestock Drought Mitigation Strategy has been taken to Mwenezi district as part of efforts to save the national herd from the El Nino-induced drought.
More than 1 400 smallholder livestock farmers in the district have received silage under the strategy as the government steps up efforts to provide safety nets in the wake of adverse climate patterns.
“We are hopeful that our livestock is going to survive the drought and we thank the President for rolling out this programme,” said a Mwenezi community member.
“I’m happy with the coming of this programme. We are in Region 5 and it’s a dry area. We thought our cattle were going to die but through such programmes, our animals will survive,” noted a community member.
Another added, “We welcome this programme with open hands because Mwenezi is in Region 5, meaning it is a very dry area. We experience a lot of challenges due to climate change and we are the hardest hit when it comes to drought.”
With Masvingo province having been identified as a water-stressed area with poor grazing, the programme is expected to ensure communities are cushioned against the effects of drought.
Masvingo provincial director in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Mr Caleb Mahoya said, “As the government, we are saying no to drought-induced cattle deaths. This district received 72.26 metric tonnes of silage that we are distributing today and this is the third one in Masvingo province. The programme has been launched in Chivi and Chiredzi and will also be cascaded to other districts.”
Government is also establishing Village Business Units at ward level to ensure farmers secure the best value for their livestock.
“Climate change did not only affect the people, but the livestock were also affected. The government has rolled out many programmes that are meant to mitigate the effects of the El Nino-induced drought. We have the food distribution programme as well so that the country can achieve zero hunger status during the drought whereas the programme we are launching today seeks to ensure zero livestock death,” said Masvingo province’s deputy director of Environmental Planning and Management, Mr Clorence Matewe.
The government declared the 2023/24 summer cropping season a state of disaster, paving the way for the mobilisation of resources to cushion food-insecure communities from the El Nino-induced drought.
