Southern African countries have updated the regional preparedness and response plan for the management and control of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 following the outbreak that devastated the poultry industry in 2017. The updated plan was crafted by regional experts and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).…
Southern Africa faces food deficits as a result of prolonged dry spells and fall armyworm, says the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). This comes as the Zambian agricultural think-tank the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) predicted the climatic and crop disease factors would negatively impact this year’s…
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) says the abnormally high temperatures experienced over Southern Africa since mid-December have increased evapotranspiration*, increasing the surface area experiencing moisture stress. In its latest Weather Hazards Bulletin for the period 19 January to 28 January, FEWSNET said the combination of intense heat and…
The discontinuous and irregular rains that have fallen over Southern Africa since October last year have induced the onset of severe moisture stress and created “unfavourable” conditions for the continuation of crop farming. In its latest Weather Hazards Bulletin for the period 12 January to 18 January, the Famine Early…
Seasonal moisture stress has worsened across Southern and Eastern Africa after poorly distributed rains of between 5 mm and 25 mm in several provinces in Zimbabwe, Botswana, southern Mozambique and northern South Africa in the last week of December. In its latest Weather Hazards Bulletin for the period between 5…
The drought situation has worsened across northern South Africa, southern Mozambique, Madagascar, Angola and Zimbabwe amid indications of the possible continuation of poor rains over the region into early January, warns the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET). In its latest Weather Hazards Bulletin for the period from 29 December…
Strong production gains in the Southern African and Far East Asian regions have pushed up the 2017 annual cereal output of Low-Income Food Deficit Countries (LIFDC), a leading global food security agency has said. LIFDCs are defined based on the level of annual national per capita gross national income (GNI),…
Food security in parts of southern Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will move towards stressed and crisis levels between February and May 2018, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET). This is expected to occur during the upcoming lean season when farmers and…
Seasonal outlooks show that South African farmers can expect a midsummer dry spell, despite an expected weak La Niña phenomenon. Southern Africa can still expect a weak La Niña phenomenon this summer. This usually means that most of the summer rainfall regions can expect above average rainfall, says prof. Willem Landman…
A swarm of red locust has invaded Southern Malawi where the migratory pests are attacking crop fields, the International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa (IRLCOCSA) confirmed on Wednesday. As a result IRLCOCSA has put five other members of the six-nation organisation – Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya…
There is an increased chance of La Niña conditions developing during the remaining spring months and summer, predictions from the US Climate Prediction Centre show. According to the latest El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) diagnostic discussion issuedView Post by the CPC, predictions show that a La Niña system can form as…
There is an increased chance of La Niña conditions developing during the remaining spring months and summer, predictions from the US Climate Prediction Centre show. According to the latest El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) diagnostic discussion issued by the CPC, predictions show that a La Niña system can form as early…
Outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD), threatening meat supply and the meat export status of affected countries, have recently been reported in Namibia, Malawi and South Africa. The first recent incidence was recorded in cattle in the Zambezi region of Namibia, where 9 cases were observed in July. Until…
According to the latest climate outlook model, chances are slimming that the El Niño will be revived in the next few months. At the middle of July, the ocean temperatures in the tropical part of the Pacific Ocean, indicated El Niño or La Niña in a neutral phase. Ocean temperatures…
A coordinated strategy to decrease the damage caused by fall armyworm in southern Africa, before the next season starts, was developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). David Phiri, FAO coordinator in southern Africa, said the strategy includes observations and reporting of the pest, recordings of the…
Another four cases of the deadly bird flu virus was this morning confirmed at three different locations in South Africa – this time in wild bird populations. According to a World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) alert, the H5N8 strain was found in Mpumalanga’s Lekwa Municipality in two southern masked weavers.…
Faced with a decline of more than 50% in production since last year, Zambian tobacco producers want Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption to gain market competitiveness. In submissions to the 2018 national budget, the Tobacco Association of Zambia (TAZ) said scrapping VAT will level the playing field for local producers…
The Regional Trade Facilitation Forum in Lusaka is working to strengthen food trade linkages between southern African countries. More than 195 maize and other grain commodity traders attended the meeting where buyers and sellers signed trade deals valued at US$100 million for the export of grain commodities. The forum was…
A rebound in grain production and improved livestock conditions means food security is recovering in Southern Africa, the FAO said. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Southern Africa is expected to produce 34.6 million tons of grain in 2017 mostly thanks to wetter conditions in the…
Zimbabwe have imposed a ban on grain imports after the latest output forecast shows the country expects a bumper harvest of 2.1 million tons, four times more than the 2016 harvest. According to Reuters, government announced the ban to “protect local farmers after producing enough to meet domestic demand”. The…
According to the Republikein, a total of 29 Zambians were arrested for illegal fishing in the Muyako area near Ngoma in the Zambezi region. According to a crime report released by the police earlier this morning, the arrests were made after the police conducted a routine inspection in the area.…
Another Southern African Head of State is calling for land expropriation with fair compensation to speed up transformation of the economic and agricultural sector. Reuters reports Namibian President Hage Geingob – during independence day celebrations – said government is considering “radical land expropriation”. Geingob said government should recall the section…
It seems like the El Niño phenomenon, associated with drier conditions in southern Africa, is going to make another appearance in 2017, according to forecasts from the American Climate Prediction Centre. The US government weather forecaster says there are increasing chances of El Niño developing during the southern hemisphere fall…
Major dams in southern Africa are steadily filling up after good rain during the summer rain season and torrential rain over the past two weeks. BOTSWANA In Botswana, the Water Utilities Corporation said the Gaborone Dam reached 100% capacity on Monday, the first time in 10 years. The dam was…
