Southern Africa drought

Updated: Tue, 24 Jul 2018

Solar-irrigated farms face an unexpected threat in Zimbabwe: hungry elephants

As worsening climate change-related drought makes food run short, lush irrigated fields are becoming an attraction

'Follow the water': Drought dries up housing for rural Namibians
As rural Namibians move to cities to escape drought, many end up in makeshift houses in overcrowded informal settlements By Kim Harrisberg | Mon, 9 Mar 2020
Hit by wilder weather, Botswana's farmers seek welfare payments
A government programme to provide work for those in need of income is seeing a rise in demand as droughts become harsher By Sharon Tshipa | Mon, 18 Feb 2019
Families sleep in water lines as drought grips Zimbabwe's Bulawayo
With water running in pipes one day a week at best and dams low, finding water has become a struggle in Zimbabwe's drought-hit second city By Lungelo Ndhlovu | Wed, 17 Jun 2020
Climate shocks threaten gains against HIV in Africa
Teenage girls who grow up in areas hit by harsh drought are more likely to drop out of school, have sex earlier and contract HIV, study finds By Inna Lazareva | Thu, 31 Jan 2019
Tough livestock farmers touched by South Africa drought donations
South Africa's livestock farmers are resilient types, but the severity of the current drought has left them with little choice but to accept aid - and many fear for their future By Petro Kotze | Fri, 14 Feb 2020
Drought - and economic woes - empty Zimbabwe's 'cattle bank'
Farmers are trying to find ways to protect their herds as climate change brings more frequent droughts - but not all are working By Busani Bafana | Thu, 5 Dec 2019
After eastern Zimbabwe floods, water shortages parch Harare
Climate change is bringing more weather extremes, and Zimbabwe this year is suffering from opposite crises at once: floods and drought By Tonderayi Mukeredzi | Sun, 7 Apr 2019
Zimbabwe's farmers feel the heat of fires - and of price hikes
An extended dry season, wildfires and a lack of foreign currency suggest Zimbabwe's farmers face a tough growing season ahead By Marko Phiri | Tue, 30 Oct 2018
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
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
Fearing tourist drought, Cape Town charts a new water relationship
"Even if it rains tomorrow, we can never go back to the old way of consuming water" By Laurie Goering | Tue, 20 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
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
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
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
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
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
Quandary for drought-threatened Zimbabwe: Grow maize or not?
As the climate dries, maize is becoming harder to grow in much of Zimbabwe - but shifting away from it is a challenge By Lungelo Ndhlovu | Mon, 26 Nov 2018
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

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