Malawi cattle farmers travel farther as El Nino worsens drought

Mulanje, Malawi – Lawrence Abison walks along the bank of the Likhubula River, stopping every few metres to inspect the grass.

Key points

• Since 2014, macdonald Khandalawo, 54, has kept cattle in Nsanjama, in the area of Traditional Authority Juma.
• Near the Likhubula River, in Supuni Village under Traditional Authority Chikumbu, 57-year-old Batson Kweluza has watched fodder gatherers come and go for years.
• The Likhubula River flows from Mount Mulanje, the 3, 002-metre massif rising sharply from the plains of southern Malawi.
• While El Nino affected rainfall patterns throughout southern Africa, malawi experienced dry spells and high temperatures in parts of the country during the 2023/24 rainfall season.
• Khandalawo is treasurer of the New Thuchira Milk Bulking Group, a cooperative with up to 400 farmers.

He eventually moves towards a patch of green Napier grass and reeds.

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old takes out a sickle. With three friends, he starts cutting. They work through the morning, tying the grass into bundles, carrying them uphill and returning to the river for more. They left Nsanjama, 27km away, at dawn.

After two hours of cutting, they had gathered enough grass to feed 10 cattle for one day.

Afterwards that afternoon, dozens of other men carrying bundles of grass could be seen around Chitakale in Mulanje district. They had come from different directions, searching for fodder for cattle kept on farms throughout the district.

"It's very hard to find the grass these days, that's why we have travelled this long distance, " Abison informed Al Jazeera, sweating. "Even here, the grass is not enough for a week and we need to proceed farther." The search for grass.

Notably, the Likhubula River flows from Mount Mulanje, the 3, 002-metre massif rising sharply from the plains of southern Malawi. The mountain is the highest point in tropical southern Africa and an significant source of water for communities around it.

Individuals living around the river say they have seen changes in the water and vegetation over the years. While trees and grass along its banks have disappeared, in some places, they say, the river has become shallower.

Meanwhile, the changes are being felt by farmers who depend on the river, not only for water, but additionally for grass to feed their cattle.

Meanwhile, the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services cautioned then of below-normal rainfall and prolonged dry spells in parts of Malawi, with southern areas among those facing the climbed threat of drought.

For farmers in Mulanje, the immediate difficulty is finding enough feed for their cattle. A longer journey for cattle feed.

Abison and other fodder gatherers say they have began making trips to the rivers earlier than they employed to. Previously, they would cycle to the river after October. This year, they had already been making the journey for months. They are additionally travelling farther.

That has brought them into competition with individuals living close to the rivers. This person additionally depend on the vegetation. While grass is needed to feed livestock, reeds are applied locally to produce mats.

Since 2014, macdonald Khandalawo, 54, has kept cattle in Nsanjama, in the area of Traditional Authority Juma. He has 10 cattle and sends men such as Abison to the rivers to collect grass.

He notes the cost of keeping the animals has risen as the grass becomes harder to find.

"After the rains have halted, we look for the grass around here but due to the change in climate there has been scarcity of grass. That is why we send these boys to those rivers, " Khandalawo remarked. "It's a long distance and sometimes they take the whole day."

In practice, the lack of feed has affected his cows' milk production, he remarked. The animals are eating less and the feed arrives afterwards.

Maize bran, which farmers employ to supplement grass, is additionally scarce and expensive, farmers say. Lower maize harvests have created the bran harder to afford.

Khandalawo additionally points to another pressure on the rivers: cultivation along their banks.

"Our complaint is that individuals are cultivating even in riverbanks. Previously, you would find plenty of reeds, plenty of grass, but now you can't find it since some of our friends who grow vegetables are cultivating even where the water is, " he stated.

"Because of that, the water is drying up faster and grass is scarce."

"If feasible, we want it to be like before where residents were not allowed to cultivate beyond some metres in the riverbanks. Most of our rivers have no vegetation, " he continued.

Khandalawo is treasurer of the New Thuchira Milk Bulking Group, a cooperative with up to 400 farmers. The group collects milk from members, preserves it and sells it to commercial processors.

It additionally gives farmers a place to exchange ideas on dealing with feed shortages.

Some collect maize stalks during harvest and keep them for periods when grass is scarce. Others collect the remains of peas and rice to add to the animals' feed. But the shortage is eating into farmers' earnings.

In a normal month, Khandalawo makes more than one million Malawi kwacha ($577) from milk sales. Lately, much of that capital has gone back into the farm to pay fodder gatherers and purchase maize bran.

He is no longer certain how long he can keep the herd under the current conditions.

Near the Likhubula River, in Supuni Village under Traditional Authority Chikumbu, 57-year-old Batson Kweluza has watched fodder gatherers come and go for years. He has additionally watched the landscape change.

Kweluza was weeding in his vegetable garden when he pointed towards the river.

"In the past, it was always dark even during the daytime because of the canopy that was created from the trees here, " he remarked.

In practice, the trees are gone in plenty of places, he stated, and the river has become shallow enough for individuals to cross without removing their shoes.

"Now even rains don't come as they used to because of those trees that have been cut and people can cross that river without even taking off their shoes."

In Nkando, 25-year-old Alefa Saulo is watching a similar change on her own farm.

She raises bulls and sells them after regarding a year. Her three cows, nevertheless, are getting thinner.

She pays two boys regarding MK50, 000 each ($29) to assist with the work on her farm, but they have not shown up for two days since of illness. Waiting for it to pour.

Saulo is waiting for the rains. She hopes they will come shortly enough for the grass to grow and the cattle to regain weight. She watches them as they feed.

"As a farmer, I always get concerned because when the animals are eating and looking healthy, I am also happy, " Saulo remarked. "But now I am sad. The animals are hungry but I can't offer them food."

For now, malawi cattle farmers travel farther as El Nino worsens drought remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.