Africa·Malawi
Breaking
In Malawi, El Niño drought has herders walking 27km for grass
MULANJE —
Depth
Dig five layers into this story — from what happened to the full picture.
L1What happened
Lawrence Abison, 25, and friends left Nsanjama at dawn and walked 27km to the Likhubula River. Two hours of cutting gathered enough grass to feed 10 cattle for one day. “It’s very hard to find the grass these days,” he said.
L2Who’s affected
Macdonald Khandalawo, 54, treasurer of the New Thuchira Milk Bulking Group (up to 400 farmers), normally earns more than MK1 million ($577) a month from milk. Much of it now goes to paying grass gatherers and buying maize bran, which is scarce and expensive after poor harvests.
L3Why it’s quiet
There is no single dramatic event — just a slow-burn farm crisis. Analysis · OVERLOOKED Human-interest climate stories outside U.S. orbits stay invisible.
L4Deeper impact
Residents say riverbank cultivation and tree loss are making the river shallower and drier, and fodder gatherers now compete with riverside residents who use reeds for mats.
L5Full context
Malawi’s Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services had warned of below-normal rain and prolonged dry spells in the south. Farmers are storing maize stalks and pea and rice residue as stopgaps until the rains.
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Original reporting
ClimateAgricultureHuman interest
This is an OVERLOOKED summary of the reporting above. Facts and figures come from the linked sources. Everything here is a fact unless it is labelled otherwise. Support this work.
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