Southern African drought primarily driven by El Nino, massive blow to food security, health: Study
February was the driest month since 1981 for most of Zimbabwe, Zambia and parts of Botswana and Angola, according to official reports. It was among the top three driest months for most of Malawi and Mozambique.
[...]
These types of droughts are projected to happen about once every 10 years in the current climate. But, when El Nino is taken into account, the likelihood of severe droughts occurring during El Nino years doubles, according to the report by scientists from Zambia, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
[...]
“Effectively tackling the multifaceted impacts of drought calls for tailored interventions that account for specific chronic vulnerabilities of diverse groups,” the authors of the new report highlighted. This includes small-scale subsistence farmers, wildlife as well as people grappling with pre-existing health and socio-economic adversities throughout Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique, they added.
According to the scientists’ assessment, maintaining strong traditional land governance systems and integrating them into contemporary frameworks appropriately seem to be essential for sustainable land management and reducing southern Africa’s vulnerability to drought.
[...]