Antinuclear

By Agnes Kalibata

Rising temparatures, crop failure, loss of livelihoods and destitution in millions of households impact smallholder farmers across Africa’s agro-ecological landscapes.

To illustrate the unfolding crisis, let us consider the case of Malawi, one of the few countries to have achieved a fair deal of agricultural success but is now facing the worst drought in over three decades.

As is the case with many countries in southern Africa, Malawi has experienced widespread crop failures due to a devastatingly strong El Niño.

The country witnessed late on-set of rains, erratic rainfall, floods and prolonged dry spells. As a result, the production of maize is estimated at just over 2.5 million tonnes in 2016.
This is 16 per cent lower than the reduced harvest in 2015 and 34 percent below the previous five year average, leaving 39 percent of the population dependent on national and international food aid to survive.