Drought destroys local farmer's harvest in Zambia, Mazabuka - 20 Mar 2024
Local farmer Kaunga Ngoma looks at his maize field affected by drought in Mazabuka, Southern Province, Zambia, 20 March 2024. Ngoma grows maize for home consumption. His yield in 2023 was ten bags (50kg), but this season will yield no bags as he lost this year's harvest to the drought. He said one bag of maize, once taken to the mill, can last over a month, but now he will have to purchase millie, which is quite expensive for him to buy at the current price of 14 USD for 25kg. The dry spell from mid-January due to El Nino conditions and climate change is affecting most of the central and southern half of Zambia, leaving 1 million hectares of maize destroyed, almost half of the country's maize cultivation, according to the United Nations (UN).
