Malawi cattle farmers travel farther as El Nino worsens drought
For many families, keeping cattle alive is becoming an increasingly costly struggle.
Mulanje, Malawi – Lawrence Abison walks along the bank of the Likhubula River, stopping every few metres to inspect the grass.
The 25-year-old takes out a sickle. With three friends, he starts cutting. They work through the morning, tying the grass into bundles, carrying them uphill and returning to the river for more.
Later that afternoon, dozens of other men carrying bundles of grass could be seen around Chitakale in Mulanje district. They had come from different directions, searching for fodder for cattle kept on farms across the district.
The lack of feed has affected his cows’ milk production, he said. The animals are eating less and the feed arrives later.