Southern Africa drought

Updated: Tue, 24 Jul 2018

Fearing tourist drought, Cape Town charts a new relationship with water

"Even if it rains tomorrow, we can never go back to the old way of consuming water"

Drought-hit Cape Town learns resilience lessons the hard way
Restrictions on water use in Cape Town are "going be a part of what we term the new normal", says one city councillor By Megan Rowling | Wed, 14 Feb 2018
Search for new urban water sparks conflict in parched Malawi
An effort to shore up water to Blantyre is drawing protests from people who say "we can't serve Blantyre before we serve ourselves" By Charles Pensulo | Tue, 27 Feb 2018
Zambia taps climate fund to battle worsening drought
Project backed by the Green Climate Fund aims to shore up food security and incomes in the face of more extreme weather By Charles Mkoka | Sat, 3 Mar 2018
Hit by extreme weather, Zimbabwe rolls out triple climate policy
Policies for business, farmers and children aim to help country adapt to climate impacts and cut emissions - but will they be used? By Tonderayi Mukeredzi | Tue, 26 Jun 2018
African nations to get profiles of drought and flood risk
Better information can help countries anticipate and prepare for problems, rather than simply respond with aid By Nicole Hoey | Fri, 9 Mar 2018
Malawi cracks down on food smugglers seeking more profit
Aid agencies say maize smuggling has increased as traders seek higher prices paid in drought-hit Kenya and war-torn Congo By Karen Sanje | Thu, 20 Apr 2017
Harnessing the enemy: as crops dry, Malawi tries solar irrigation
Water pumping and storage systems help ensure crops survive increasingly harsh droughts By Charles Mkoka | Mon, 23 Jul 2018
Rains raise harvest hopes in Zimbabwe – but pest brings "misery"
Drought-hit farmers are hoping for their first bumper harvest in years, but army worm pests and floods are lowering expectations By Busani Bafana | Mon, 20 Mar 2017
Heavy rains wash away Zimbabwe’s roads, leaving crops stranded
Rains finally promise a good harvest in most parts of Zimbabwe's Manicaland province - but only if farmers can get it to market By Andrew Mambondiyani | Thu, 23 Mar 2017
In drought-hit Zimbabwe, women's "second shift" burden grows
Longer hours of unpaid work to gather scarce water, firewood and food are putting women – and their paid jobs – at risk By Andrew Mambondiyani | Fri, 6 Jan 2017
With water short, Zimbabwe's farmers turn to capturing rain
"With this past drought, water was very scarce and we have realised that every drop counts," says one traditional leader By Andrew Mambondiyani | Wed, 11 Jan 2017
Zambia tries new way to beat drought: solar grain mills
Can holding down the cost of milling grain, using renewable energy, hold the line on food prices in Zambia? By Danstan Kaunda | Tue, 17 Jan 2017
As temperatures soar, Zimbabwe's farmers test maize that can cope
"Now that the climate has changed, it is time for farmers to change too," researchers say By Busani Bafana | Thu, 17 Nov 2016
Cattle shortage leaves Zimbabwe's fields unploughed as rains fall
Rains have returned but after losing their animals to drought, many farmers now face ploughing their fields by hand By Andrew Mambondiyani | Wed, 7 Dec 2016
Drought-hit women struggle as compassion runs dry at climate talks
Too little support through worst drought in decades means women and girls are selling sex for food to survive, CARE says By Megan Rowling | Sat, 19 Nov 2016
Zimbabwe drought, hunger push farmers to seek greener pastures
As water disappears in southern Zimbabwe, many farmers are looking for new lives elsewhere By Tonderayi Mukeredzi | Tue, 13 Dec 2016
As droughts lengthen, Zimbabwe’s medicinal plants disappear
"The plants are disappearing, both fruit and herbal medicines, but we cannot do anything," says one rural herbalist By Andrew Mambondiyani | Mon, 27 Nov 2017
Swap maize for millet? Zimbabwe's farmers just say no
The problem? Children don't like to eat it By Marko Phiri | Fri, 7 Oct 2016
Insurance vital, but no magic bullet to fight drought in Africa
"People think sometimes that insurance is the solution for everything. It is not correct" By Alex Whiting | Mon, 6 Mar 2017
From seeds to markets, maize alternatives face battles in Zimbabwe
As drought hits maize production, sorghum, millet and other small grains could take over - if the path is cleared for them, experts say By Tonderayi Mukeredzi | Tue, 31 Jan 2017
Could "resurrection" crops feed a hungry planet?
Scientist hopes that by putting resurrection plants' survival skills into crops, the world's population could be better fed By Peter Lykke Lind | Tue, 7 Mar 2017
Crickets, birds, weather data combine to guide African farmers
A new weather advisory service, by an award-winning Kenyan tech expert, aims to help drought-hit farmers By Munyaradzi Makoni | Mon, 26 Sep 2016
Smarter farming could cut hunger in drought-hit southern Africa
Innovations from crop insurance to swapping cattle for goats could help the region stand up to worsening drought, researchers say By Busani Bafana | Thu, 15 Sep 2016
As drought hits Zambian harvests, food prices are on the rise
Farmers may need to switch from maize to millet, sorghum and cassava to survive drought in the long term, experts say By Danstan Kaunda | Thu, 8 Sep 2016

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