The cause of death of hundreds of elephants in the northern part of Botswana’s Okavango Delta remains a mystery, with more than 400 carcasses having been discovered since May this year.

Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, CropLife SA’s operations and stewardship manager, said no exact cause had yet been determined for this large-scale annihilation of the pachyderms, which was resulting in a tremendous loss to the ecosystem.

Initially, poisoning was suspected, but that had since been ruled out, because scavengers feeding on the elephant carcasses would also have died, he explained.

According to Verdoorn, poaching was also not suspected as tusks had not been removed, while the argument that the animals were dying as a result of the overpopulation of elephants in Botswana did not make sense.

If that was the case, the deaths would not have been limited to the Okavango Delta region, but would have occurred over a much larger area.

He said, while anthrax had also been ruled out, water contaminated with blue-green algae was being considered as a cause of the deaths.

“A worrying factor is that the animals had collapsed on their chests. It was almost as if they died in mid-step. It is essential to determine the reason for these deaths as soon as possible in order to address the matter effectively.”

The dead elephants were found near natural waterholes in Mopane woodland and along trails. Blood samples had been taken from the carcasses by the authorities and sent for testing to laboratories outside the country, including South Africa.

Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated at more than 130 000 animals.

The cause of death of hundreds of elephants in the northern part of Botswana’s Okavango Delta remains a mystery, with more than 400 carcasses having been discovered since May this year.

Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, CropLife SA’s operations and stewardship manager, said no exact cause had yet been determined for this large-scale annihilation of the pachyderms, which was resulting in a tremendous loss to the ecosystem.

Initially, poisoning was suspected, but that had since been ruled out, because scavengers feeding on the elephant carcasses would also have died, he explained.

According to Verdoorn, poaching was also not suspected as tusks had not been removed, while the argument that the animals were dying as a result of the overpopulation of elephants in Botswana did not make sense.

If that was the case, the deaths would not have been limited to the Okavango Delta region, but would have occurred over a much larger area.

He said, while anthrax had also been ruled out, water contaminated with blue-green algae was being considered as a cause of the deaths.

“A worrying factor is that the animals had collapsed on their chests. It was almost as if they died in mid-step. It is essential to determine the reason for these deaths as soon as possible in order to address the matter effectively.”

The dead elephants were found near natural waterholes in Mopane woodland and along trails. Blood samples had been taken from the carcasses by the authorities and sent for testing to laboratories outside the country, including South Africa.

Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated at more than 130 000 animals.

Large parts of Namibia remain in the grips of a brutal drought, with the last significant rainfall reported in the far southern region a decade ago.

Henriette le Grange, convenor of the Namibia Drought Relief Fund, told Farmer’s Weekly that districts such as Aroab, Mariental, Stampriet and Keetmanshoop in the south were severely affected by the dearth, while acute drought conditions prevailed in Kamanjab, Karibib and Usakos in the north-west.

“I can’t even begin to describe the conditions. The veld is reminiscent of a lunar landscape, devoid of life. Farmers and related businesses have to endure in most appalling conditions,” she said.

The relief fund had distributed animal feed to the value of R300 000 so far this year. Although the need for support remained very significant, the organisation’s funds had been depleted and further support was therefore hanging in the balance, according to Le Grange.

The donated animal feed was sourced from the irrigation areas near Mariental, among other areas. This meant that feed donations could be delivered at a reasonable price to the southern region.

However, transporting the feed to the drought-affected areas in the north-west was exceedingly expensive, due to high transport costs because of the vastness of the country.

Kamanjab, for example, was some 750km north of Mariental. She said transporting a load of between 750 and 800 bales of lucerne from Mariental to Kamanjab could cost as much as R97 000.

This was exacerbated by the fact that the transport trucks had to return without a load, which markedly increased the delivery costs.

Le Grange said the effects of the drought were heartbreaking.

“The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that we also support a number of households on farms with food on a monthly basis. Cash flows in the drought-stricken areas have been depleted. The Namibia Drought Relief Fund [hinges] on three [pillars], namely food provision, school fund support and drought aid,” she said.

Large parts of Namibia remain in the grips of a brutal drought, with the last significant rainfall reported in the far southern region a decade ago.

Henriette le Grange, convenor of the Namibia Drought Relief Fund, told Farmer’s Weekly that districts such as Aroab, Mariental, Stampriet and Keetmanshoop in the south were severely affected by the dearth, while acute drought conditions prevailed in Kamanjab, Karibib and Usakos in the north-west.

“I can’t even begin to describe the conditions. The veld is reminiscent of a lunar landscape, devoid of life. Farmers and related businesses have to endure in most appalling conditions,” she said.

The relief fund had distributed animal feed to the value of R300 000 so far this year. Although the need for support remained very significant, the organisation’s funds had been depleted and further support was therefore hanging in the balance, according to Le Grange.

The donated animal feed was sourced from the irrigation areas near Mariental, among other areas. This meant that feed donations could be delivered at a reasonable price to the southern region.

However, transporting the feed to the drought-affected areas in the north-west was exceedingly expensive, due to high transport costs because of the vastness of the country.

Kamanjab, for example, was some 750km north of Mariental. She said transporting a load of between 750 and 800 bales of lucerne from Mariental to Kamanjab could cost as much as R97 000.

This was exacerbated by the fact that the transport trucks had to return without a load, which markedly increased the delivery costs.

Le Grange said the effects of the drought were heartbreaking.

“The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that we also support a number of households on farms with food on a monthly basis. Cash flows in the drought-stricken areas have been depleted. The Namibia Drought Relief Fund [hinges] on three [pillars], namely food provision, school fund support and drought aid,” she said.

Despite significant gains in the battle against desert locust infestations in 10 countries, mostly in East Africa, food security remains at risk, especially as a second wave of locusts now threaten what could otherwise be a promising crop harvest for the region.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in a statement that preliminary estimates indicated that 720 000t of grains had been saved in 10 countries by preventing the spread of desert locust swarms. This was enough to feed five million people for one year.

“Our gains have been significant, but the battle is long and not yet over,” said FAO director general Qu Dongyu.

The FAO first called for funding to fight the locust plague in the region in January, receiving about US$130 million (about R2,37 billion), which had largely been utilised for locust control activities to mitigate the first wave.

“While swathes of treated land are now relatively free from the pest, the first wave of swarms has reproduced, and a second wave of locusts will transition from juveniles to the young adult stage in June, taking flight at a critical time when many farmers in East Africa prepare to harvest their crops,” the FAO warned.

In the statement, the desert locust was described as the “most destructive migratory pest in the world”.

Renewed warnings came as the organisation said more funding was needed to back livelihood support activities, as well as to mitigate against a second wave at harvest time.

This was especially relevant, the FAO said, against the backdrop of warnings contained in forecasts by the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC). The latest edition of the report indicated that over 25 million people would face acute food security in the region in the second half of 2020.

“In Yemen, where locusts have been reproducing in hard-to-access inland regions, an additional 17 million people are acutely food insecure.”

However, these estimates preceded the widespread negative impact of measures to contain the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Despite significant gains in the battle against desert locust infestations in 10 countries, mostly in East Africa, food security remains at risk, especially as a second wave of locusts now threaten what could otherwise be a promising crop harvest for the region.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in a statement that preliminary estimates indicated that 720 000t of grains had been saved in 10 countries by preventing the spread of desert locust swarms. This was enough to feed five million people for one year.

“Our gains have been significant, but the battle is long and not yet over,” said FAO director general Qu Dongyu.

The FAO first called for funding to fight the locust plague in the region in January, receiving about US$130 million (about R2,37 billion), which had largely been utilised for locust control activities to mitigate the first wave.

“While swathes of treated land are now relatively free from the pest, the first wave of swarms has reproduced, and a second wave of locusts will transition from juveniles to the young adult stage in June, taking flight at a critical time when many farmers in East Africa prepare to harvest their crops,” the FAO warned.

In the statement, the desert locust was described as the “most destructive migratory pest in the world”.

Renewed warnings came as the organisation said more funding was needed to back livelihood support activities, as well as to mitigate against a second wave at harvest time.

This was especially relevant, the FAO said, against the backdrop of warnings contained in forecasts by the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC). The latest edition of the report indicated that over 25 million people would face acute food security in the region in the second half of 2020.

“In Yemen, where locusts have been reproducing in hard-to-access inland regions, an additional 17 million people are acutely food insecure.”

However, these estimates preceded the widespread negative impact of measures to contain the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Africa is coming up with its own solutions to the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a statement by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The bank’s COVID-19 Response Facility was in the process of mobilising $10 billion (about R194 billion) to provide financial assistance to African countries to fight the pandemic.

It raised a $3 billon (R57 billion) COVID-19 bond, the proceeds of which were earmarked to address fiscal challenges, as well as to secure the procurement of medicines, vaccinations, ventilators and other health-related expenditures and feeding programmes, agro-input subsidies and other socio-economic interventions.

Atsuko Toda, Director of Agricultural Finance and Rural Development at the AfDB, said it was vital that Africa maintained adequate food reserves, avoided protectionist policies and promoted value chains that linked domestic and international markets.

“We will work with regional partners, including the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as well as international ones, such as the World Trade Organization, to ensure recovery after the pandemic,” he explained.

According to Dr André Jooste, CEO of Potatoes South Africa, food security was dependent on availability, affordability and nutrition.

Following the AfDB statement, Jooste said that in many parts of Africa, the most direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic would be on the availability and affordability of food.

This would have the most significant impact on the most vulnerable and poor. It was likely that due to the enormity of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, that even middle-class households would find it difficult to make ends meet.

“This will require resilient bureaucratic systems to put processes and procedures in place in a timely manner, something which many African governments do not have. Thus, even introducing the most basic measures, such as opening up value chains and implementing food feeding schemes, could be challenging, but it is an absolute necessity,” Jooste continued.

He cautioned that anti-hoarding policies were critical to ensure that prices were not artificially supported, especially where supply chains were afforded the opportunity to trade freely, but were controlled by a few role players.

Subsidies could, in extraordinary situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, play an important role in maintaining food production by both small and large-scale farming operations.

“However, subsidies should focus on providing stimuli to expand farming operations currently in production and keep them sustainable through this difficult time. The focus of support during the crisis should be on the most immediate programmes that can bring relief to the hungry,” Jooste said.

Africa is coming up with its own solutions to the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a statement by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The bank’s COVID-19 Response Facility was in the process of mobilising $10 billion (about R194 billion) to provide financial assistance to African countries to fight the pandemic.

It raised a $3 billon (R57 billion) COVID-19 bond, the proceeds of which were earmarked to address fiscal challenges, as well as to secure the procurement of medicines, vaccinations, ventilators and other health-related expenditures and feeding programmes, agro-input subsidies and other socio-economic interventions.

Atsuko Toda, Director of Agricultural Finance and Rural Development at the AfDB, said it was vital that Africa maintained adequate food reserves, avoided protectionist policies and promoted value chains that linked domestic and international markets.

“We will work with regional partners, including the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as well as international ones, such as the World Trade Organization, to ensure recovery after the pandemic,” he explained.

According to Dr André Jooste, CEO of Potatoes South Africa, food security was dependent on availability, affordability and nutrition.

Following the AfDB statement, Jooste said that in many parts of Africa, the most direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic would be on the availability and affordability of food.

This would have the most significant impact on the most vulnerable and poor. It was likely that due to the enormity of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, that even middle-class households would find it difficult to make ends meet.

“This will require resilient bureaucratic systems to put processes and procedures in place in a timely manner, something which many African governments do not have. Thus, even introducing the most basic measures, such as opening up value chains and implementing food feeding schemes, could be challenging, but it is an absolute necessity,” Jooste continued.

He cautioned that anti-hoarding policies were critical to ensure that prices were not artificially supported, especially where supply chains were afforded the opportunity to trade freely, but were controlled by a few role players.

Subsidies could, in extraordinary situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, play an important role in maintaining food production by both small and large-scale farming operations.

“However, subsidies should focus on providing stimuli to expand farming operations currently in production and keep them sustainable through this difficult time. The focus of support during the crisis should be on the most immediate programmes that can bring relief to the hungry,” Jooste said.

This year, Zimbabwe will decentralise tobacco selling in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This was according to Zimbabwean president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, during a recent televised address.

Decentralising the selling of tobacco, a major foreign currency earner for Zimbabwe, meant that tobacco could be sold on auction floors in the tobacco-growing northern half of the country, instead of being concentrated in the capital Harare.

According to Mnangagwa, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) in consultation with the Zimbabwean inter-ministerial taskforce on COVID-19 had agreed that the decentralisation of tobacco sales was important to minimise crowding, in light of COVID-19.

He added that social distancing would be observed at these auctions, and that the auctions would be regulated to ensure that there was no large concentration of people at any time.

Normally, the tobacco marketing season started in the second to third week of March, but because of the pandemic and the fact that the growing season started and ended late, TIMB was forced to delay it to 22 April.

TIMB board chairperson, Patrick Devenish, said consultations were still underway with regard to selling guidelines,

However, according to the Tobacco Industry Operational Guidance on COVID-19, the TIMB would adopt the “deliver today and sell tomorrow” policy, meaning that a farmer would book in his or her crop and sell it within 48 hours.

“Non-booked tobacco [will] not be accepted; farmers bringing such tobacco to the market shall be turned away and prohibited from making a sale,” said the guidelines.

TIMB said that by 31 December 2019, almost 146 000 farmers had registered to grow tobacco.

However, due to erratic rainfall during the growing period, the regulator expected output to fall to 225 million kilograms this year, down from the record 256 million kilograms achieved in 2019.

About 14% of that output was sold on open auction, with 84% delivered to contractors.

This year, Zimbabwe will decentralise tobacco selling in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This was according to Zimbabwean president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, during a recent televised address.

Decentralising the selling of tobacco, a major foreign currency earner for Zimbabwe, meant that tobacco could be sold on auction floors in the tobacco-growing northern half of the country, instead of being concentrated in the capital Harare.

According to Mnangagwa, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) in consultation with the Zimbabwean inter-ministerial taskforce on COVID-19 had agreed that the decentralisation of tobacco sales was important to minimise crowding, in light of COVID-19.

He added that social distancing would be observed at these auctions, and that the auctions would be regulated to ensure that there was no large concentration of people at any time.

Normally, the tobacco marketing season started in the second to third week of March, but because of the pandemic and the fact that the growing season started and ended late, TIMB was forced to delay it to 22 April.

TIMB board chairperson, Patrick Devenish, said consultations were still underway with regard to selling guidelines,

However, according to the Tobacco Industry Operational Guidance on COVID-19, the TIMB would adopt the “deliver today and sell tomorrow” policy, meaning that a farmer would book in his or her crop and sell it within 48 hours.

“Non-booked tobacco [will] not be accepted; farmers bringing such tobacco to the market shall be turned away and prohibited from making a sale,” said the guidelines.

TIMB said that by 31 December 2019, almost 146 000 farmers had registered to grow tobacco.

However, due to erratic rainfall during the growing period, the regulator expected output to fall to 225 million kilograms this year, down from the record 256 million kilograms achieved in 2019.

About 14% of that output was sold on open auction, with 84% delivered to contractors.