Mon, 22 Jan 2018 13:10:41 +0000 DROUGHT in any part of the world brings with it acute food shortage and a spiral effect in the production chain that relies on rain-fed agricultural products. In Zambia and other parts of Africa, maize remains the staple food and is grown mainly by emerging farmers to feed the majority of citizens while the surplus is exported to earn the much-need foreign exchange. The dry spell which has hit Lusaka, Southern province and other areas has already had a devastating effect on the crops. The unpleasant spectre is baying for contingency measures so that the country does not fall in the hunger trap. Maize and other crops have started wilting in some parts of Zambia as a result of the dry spell. In the 2015-16 farming season, Zambia was affected by the shifting weather pattern that resulted in poor yields in some parts of the country. In April of […]
