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Sifelani Tsiko, Feature
For Tendai Muzondo, a farmer from Chiokoyo village in Ward 10 of Chivi District in the south-central part of Zimbabwe, livestock means everything.  Her ability to survive largely depends on the well-being of her cow called “Stuff.”

In addition, her family’s wealth is directly tied to the number of animals they own, so keeping livestock fit and free from disease and parasites helps keep the whole community secure and resilient to external shocks.

And when her cow collapsed a few weeks ago due to the El–Nino induced drought of the 2015-2016 cropping season, she was devastated.

Without “Stuff” there is no milk for her family. It also meant there is no milk to sell to her neighbours.

To Muzondo, without the sale of cattle she cannot buy food, pay school fees and there is no access to health care. “To me my cattle mean a lot socially, culturally and economically,” she said.

“It is at the base in the life of our community. It means a lot and without cattle, we are nothing.”

When Muzondo got informed by her kids that “Stuff” had collapsed while scrounging for some grazing, she cried and panicked.

She immediately rushed to the spot where her cow lay helplessly. “I prayed to God, to save Stuff. I gave it some water and some feed to try and save it,” Muzondo said.

“I had to drag Stuff home, it was not easy. I thought Stuff would soon die. It had grown thin due to lack of pasture and it was just too weak to walk.”

When she was told that she should buy survival feed which was being sold at a subsidised rate in the district, she doubted whether it would work.

“I went to the selling point which was near our village and I bought four bags,” the elderly woman said. “I thought if I could feed Stuff with survival feed may be she would survive. On the first day, I had to hand-feed Stuff. I was losing hope but I felt strongly that I had to keep feeding her.

“On the second, I continued feeding Stuff, she would not rise, but I was noticing some positive change. On the third day, I called my cow and she just rose on her own.

“I was so excited. Stuff was still calving and we wanted the milk. I couldn’t believe that Stuff could survive, but it happened.”

Muzondo said she now believed the importance of timely and appropriate interventions to protect and support animals under drought conditions.

Recently, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation unveiled a Euro 1 million funding for an El Niño drought response project that is benefiting communal farmers with a herd of eight or fewer with livestock supplementary feed at subsidised prices.

The programme is being implemented by FAO in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development (Livestock Production and Development Department) and Heifer International Zimbabwe.

This project supports farmers’ access to drought-tolerant seeds and access to subsidised stock feed.

Since the project started in November this year, farmers such as Muzondo and others in Chivi district are benefitting from 300 metric tonnes of stockfeed being rolled out under the livestock drought mitigation programme. The feed is being sold at US$8 for a 50kg bag instead of $14 on the open market.

In addition, FAO has also distributed 5kg of sorghum and 2,5kg of cowpea seeds which farmers will buy for S$2 and $1 respectively.

The FAO livestock drought programme comes at a time when farmers in Chivi district were losing about 1 500 cattle per season.

“Before the interventions by FAO and its partners, our farmers were losing 1 500 animals per season but after the livestock interventions, the figure has gone down significantly to about 180 deaths now,” said Irene Chihanga, the head of the Livestock Production and Development Department in Chivi district.

“We deeply appreciate the support our farmers are getting from FAO and its partners. It has helped to reduce livestock deaths in a big way.”

Poor rainfall and a combination of above-average temperatures limited crop development and pasture regrowth in this district about 360km south of the capital Harare.

Livestock production was severely affected and most smallholder farmers were forced to destock. Most farmers are still making frantic efforts to save their livestock through supplementary feeding schemes, translocating animals to areas with better pasture and de-stocking in the worst situation.

The El Niño drought that hit Zimbabwe and most Sadc countries is the worst recorded in more than 50 years and has, apart from people, seen livestock suffering from lack of grazing pasture and water.

In drought-prone parts in Zimbabwe, most rivers, boreholes and weirs have dried up and most people were now getting water from shallow wells dug on sand riverbeds to water their livestock.

Rains that fell in recent weeks in some parts of the country slightly improved pasture and water availability, slowing down livestock deaths. But before the rains, farmers were grappling with pasture and water scarcity for their livestock.

In Zimbabwe, authorities have reported the death of more than 25 000 cattle this year owing largely to the devastating drought.

Latest figures for Masvingo province show that a total of 3 826 livestock deaths were recorded as at December 5. “Deaths are mainly due to lack of grazing and water,” said Chihanga. “With the rains coming, pasture may improve but it will not be enough. Livestock supplementary feeding still remains critical.”

Despite the price, she said the uptake of stockfeed in the district is high as most farmers were now buying supplementary livestock feed.

The current cash crisis had to some extent affected the uptake and Heifer International said it was negotiating for point of sale machines to enable farmers to swipe for their stocks.

In the 2016/17 agricultural season, FAO aims to support 6 000 households with subsidised stockfeed and 15 000 households with subsidised small grain seed in 11 of the worst affected districts in the country.

Apart from the provision of supplementary feed, FAO and its partners have also rehabilitated 27 dip tanks and the construction of feedlots in Chivi district which has a cattle population of 108 000, donkeys (7 934), goats (104 789), sheep (5 518) and pigs        (1 712) according to figures from the LPD.

The district has a grazing area of 181 000 which is inadequate for the livestock. “As a village we are pleased by the support we have received from FAO,” said Muchengeti Chibhanguza, chairman of Musharavande livestock development committee in Ward 14 of Chivi district.

“Our cattle is our wealth and support for animal health and provision of subsidised feed is helping to preserve our assets.”

At the Denge community feedlot in Ward 9 of Chivi North district, more 911 households are benefiting from the feedlot.

“This supplementary livestock feeding initiative has saved our cattle from the jaws of death. The drought has been severe and we have lost our cattle,” said Reuben Chitima, chairman of the Denge livestock development committee. “Livestock deaths have gone down and this has made us happy.”

Prior to the animal health interventions and provision of subsidised feed, farmers would lose 4 out of 10 cattle they own, something which had severe implications on their livelihoods.

Cattle is life for the majority of farmers.

Said Muzondo “The animals are often the entire savings of a family. It is the only asset we have. It is vital to save them.”

— Zimpapers Syndication