Malawi cattle farmers travel farther for grass as El Niño worsens drought

Lawrence Abison, 25, walks along the Likhubula River with three friends, cutting Napier grass and reeds to feed 10 cattle. They left Nsanjama, 27 kilometres away, at dawn. After two hours of cutting they had enough grass for one day. “It’s very hard to find the grass these days, that’s why we have travelled this long distance,” Abison told Al Jazeera. “Even here, the grass is not enough for a week and we need to proceed farther.”

Malawi experienced dry spells and high temperatures in parts of the country during the 2023/24 rainfall season while El Niño affected rainfall patterns across southern Africa. The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services warned of below-normal rainfall and prolonged dry spells, with southern areas among those facing increased drought threat.

Macdonald Khandalawo, 54, has kept 10 cattle in Nsanjama since 2014. He sends men such as Abison to the rivers and says the cost of keeping animals has risen as grass becomes harder to find. “After the rains have stopped, 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,” he said. The lack of feed has affected his cows’ milk production, he said. Maize bran used to supplement grass is scarce and expensive, farmers say. Lower maize harvests have made the bran harder to afford.

Khandalawo also pointed to cultivation along riverbanks as an additional pressure. “Previously, you would find plenty of reeds, plenty of grass, but now you can’t find it because some of our friends who grow vegetables are cultivating even where the water is,” he said. He said he wanted, if possible, a return to restrictions on cultivation along riverbanks.

Near the river, Batson Kweluza, 57, said the landscape has changed. Trees that once formed a canopy are gone in many places, and the river has become shallow enough to cross without removing shoes. “Now even rains don’t come as they used to because of those trees that have been cut,” he said.

In Nkando, Alefa Saulo, 25, raises bulls and said her three cows are getting thinner. She pays two boys to help, but they have not shown up for two days because of illness. “As a farmer, I always get concerned because when the animals are eating and looking healthy, I am also happy. But now I am sad. The animals are hungry but I can’t give them food,” she said.