Zimbabwean cattle farmers face tough choices

Cattle have long been a symbol of wealth in Zimbabwe. But these days, in the chaos of the struggling economy and the increasing impact of climate change, cattle farmers face a difficult choice: sell off their herd or butcher them to sell the meat.
calendar icon 26 February 2020
clock icon 1 minute read

"I am greatly worried about my herd of cattle," says Nkosilathi Ndlovu, who used to own a herd of 80 cattle in the Matabeleland North province, several hours north of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city. "I sold five cattle early in the year, and it seems I may be forced to sell more."

Cattle are highly reliant on crop residues and pasture, both of which have been affected by Zimbabwe’s changing climate, marked by unpredictable rainfall patterns. Rains that should have started in October 2019 have not yet come. And temperatures were hotter in 2019, which meant that pastures quickly dried up.

Ndlovu says his cattle no longer have pastures on which to graze due to the drought.

Farmers like Ndlovu are destocking, selling a portion of their livestock in order to buy supplementary feed to save the rest of their herd.

To continue reading this article, please click here.

Source: The Standard

TheCattleSite News Desk

© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.