Latest news with #Droughts
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Dry weather, moderate droughts sweeping parts of Canada
Dry weather and in some areas moderate droughts are sweeping parts of Canada, reducing crop yields and fuelling wildfires. Experts say these conditions could become the norm and forever change ecosystems.
Zawya
21-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
The State of Agriculture in Zimbabwe
Droughts are frequent and in winter temperatures can drop to minus 5 degrees Celsius. In 1896 when the first foreign settlers came here, they anticipated to find gold and diamonds like South Africa, but found little evidence of both and turned to farming. They carved out of virgin bushveld several thousand farms ranging from a couple of hundred hectares to half a million. They experimented with crops eventually settling down with maize, cotton, vegetables, cattle, pigs and poultry. The country was a part of the global British Empire and in the Sterling Zone of free trade in a common currency. Beef and crop products were exported to the UK and a considerable citrus industry was established. Flue cured tobacco – a pale yellow, low nicotine filler tobacco, created a niche for itself which continues today. By the time of Independence in 1980, the industry was split into two – 30 000 large- and small-scale commercial farms and the communal or tribal sector with 700 000 farmers – both sectors managing about 16 million hectares each. They employed 350 000 workers, produced half of all exports and generated about 20 per cent of the national GDP. There were 5 world class research stations which developed crop varieties that used the harsh environment to best advantage and created record yielding varieties; they learned how to manage the many pests and diseases of Africa. The tobacco industry produced the second or third largest crop in the world, ran its own research and marketing organisations that were recognised as among the best in the world. 4 large marketing organisations – the CSC, the DMB, CMB and the GMB, employed 25 000 workers and managed purchases and sales of US$3 billion a year. Farmers were paid in 24 hours at prices negotiated each year and related to global markets. Any year end surplus was paid out to growers as an after-season payment. The 30 000 large and small scale farmers owned their land and ploughed their profits back into their farms, creating some of the most outstanding farm properties in the world. They maintained their roads, built 10 000 dams, put 500 000 hectares of land under irrigation. They managed nearly 3 million head of cattle, and we were self-sufficient in everything except petroleum fuels. Every Bank had a farm department and any farmer with equity, could go into his or her bank in March each year, negotiate a loan to cover costs, often including school fees, a new vehicle and a holiday for the family and pay for it when they sold their crops. In the Cattle industry all you needed was a lease on land for 5 years and the CSC would fund your cattle and expenses. If you wanted to invest in irrigation you went to the 'Farm Irrigation Fund' at a State owned bank for a long term loan at a reasonable rate. If you tell a farmer in Zimbabwe today that their predecessors' operated under such conditions, they will say that was impossible. But it is true, and I was a small player in that system. Today no farmer has equity unless he has equity off the farm elsewhere, he must have his own resources unless he grows a crop under contract to a firm that wants the output. When the collapse came in 2000, the international tobacco industry recognised that it could not manufacture their traditional brands without some tobacco from Zimbabwe. They came into the country with their own resources, employed many of the former tobacco growers and financed small scale and large scale production. In this way they maintained the industry. But they were the exception, everything else, except sugar, collapsed. Today we import 70 per cent of our food needs. The pig and poultry industries meet domestic demand and are 100 per cent private Agri industrial operations. The list of failed state and private sector institutions is endless – no research stations function effectively, no research or new technologies emerge. The CSC and the CMB are dead. The DMB is a shadow of its former self. Farmers are not paid on time and sometimes not at all. A third of all our timber forests are burned and not being replanted. And on top of all that we are lumbered with a compensation bill of US$3 500 000 000 for the farmers whom we robbed between 2000 and 2005. A burden for the generation that played no part in creating this mess. So, what do we do to fix this situation and why is that even important? Its important because the majority of our population depends on agriculture for subsistence and even survival. Its important because if we brought it back, we would not only be able to export our surpluses, but the cost of food would be lower for the entire population. We are a nation of extremes – extreme poverty, extreme wealth for a minority with the associated threat of instability. Part of the solution is to raise the incomes of the rural poor and that means farming. The decision to grant all the settlers on the commercial farm land that was acquired by the State between 2000 and 2005 – about 8 million hectares and to restore the title rights on the rest would create the equity needed to underwrite the recovery. In the compensation negotiations the value of the movable assets and land of the dispossessed farmers was settled at US$6,7 billion dollars of which the State took responsibility for US$3,5 billion, excluding the value of land. This suggests that the commercial valuation of the land was US$3,2 billion. For 8 million hectares of land that looks reasonable. However, no sooner had this decision been made than the vultures in our society imposed impossible costs on those applying for title. The process has stopped and if this proposal is pursued by the State, it will incite real violence and with justification. Instead, what we should do is the following: restore title rights on all land still being occupied and farmed productively by those with their original title deeds, without charge. Then grant title rights to all other settlers with a small bond over the property reflecting its value in the region. If this was set at US$3,2 billion it would amount to US$400 per hectare. This would need to be reduced substantially in the arid and semi-arid non cropping areas without irrigation and increased in the better cropping areas. The bond to be paid to the State over 20 years at a low interest rate. Annual payments on this basis would be US$240 million a year or US$30 a hectare. Adjusted for region this should be very affordable, even for cattle ranching. The bonds over all 8 million hectares should be registered by a State-owned bank with responsibility to finance agricultural recovery. This would immediately give such a bank a major capital asset base in the form of titled land and US$240 million a year in revenue. In the Communal farm areas, we should adopt the recommendations of the Rukuni Commission and give some form of title to Villages in Communal Areas. In fact lets put Rukuni in charge of the whole thing. The task of rebuilding marketing institutions and support infrastructure such as research stations should begin immediately. Road and water infrastructure restored, and a million hectares of land brought under irrigation. Then, and only then can we expect a recovery of our farming sector. © Copyright The Zimbabwean. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Hosepipe bans are here again. The UK must prepare for the coming era of drought
Water scarcity is becoming a global problem as droughts become more frequent, longer, and more severe. At the same time, demand for water is rising due to population growth, urbanisation, and economic activities. Unsustainable water policies and poor management are making the situation worse. The UK is not exempt from this global trend. Droughts have occurred regularly, and yet the country remains unprepared. According to the Environment Agency, April 2025 was the fourth driest on record in north-east England since 1871. In parts of Cumbria and Northumbria, it has been the driest start to the year since 1929. A hosepipe ban has just been implemented in Yorkshire and other water companies are warning of more. The future is likely to bring more frequent and extended droughts because of climate change. Despite this, long-term planning to reduce the impact of droughts on people, businesses, and the environment is still lacking. Most current actions focus on short-term responses such as monitoring, issuing permits, and restricting water use. Broader, long-term strategies have yet to be formulated. While infrastructure like reservoirs, pipelines, and treatment plants is important, other areas need more attention. These include improving water use efficiency, encouraging conservation, and reducing demand across all sectors. Waterwise's UK Water Efficiency Strategy to 2030 stresses that saving water should be a central part of national policy. Technologies like desalination can help, but they need to be part of a wider strategy as it is the case in Singapore, for example. They may produce costly water that is used inefficiently or becomes too expensive. In some Gulf countries, for example, desalinated water is widely available, but overall water use remains high and inefficient. Before planning for desalination, cities in coastal cities in England should reduce their water losses. Clean rivers and lakes are also essential. Pollution from sewage, urban runoff, industrial discharges, fertilisers and pesticides has long affected UK's water sources. When water is polluted, it becomes less usable, making the effects of prolonged droughts worse. Industrial water use should also be reviewed. For instance, data centres, which support AI and mobile connectivity, use large amounts of water, especially for cooling. In the UK and elsewhere, they are competing with local communities for access to clean water. In Singapore, water efficiency is required across all sectors, including data centres and manufacturing. The UK has yet to introduce similar rules. If a long drought occurs, will data centres and other industries face water restrictions? What would the consequences be? Should they be prioritised over other users due to their importance, or should they be required to become efficient starting now? The UK government considers water a national priority, but implementable plans to conserve it much better are long overdue. Droughts affect not only water and wastewater systems, but also energy supply, agriculture and overall ecosystems. Planning ahead means ensuring all sectors become more efficient and less polluting, so droughts cause less disruption. Water-saving habits by individuals, almost 70 million in the UK, can make a difference and should be supported by policy and adopted widely. Is it really that bad to wash cars using water in buckets? The next reporting deadline for the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Sustainable Flood and Drought Management is 9 February 2026, seven months away. This would be a timely opportunity to discuss a national strategy that is financially viable for drought preparation that protects people, economic sectors, and the environment.
