In the Southern District of Botswana, where cattle ranching is woven into the rhythm of rural life, a warning is spreading from the offices of the Beef Farmers Association in Kanye. Under an El Niño advisory that promises less rain and hotter days, the danger that worries its leader most is not the slow ache of drought but the sudden fire that can race across dry veldt faster than anyone can respond. Such fires have already been seen around Jwaneng and toward Mabutsane, and the farmers who depend on this land are being asked to prepare now, through firebreaks, neighbourly vigilance and the pla
Botswana Farmers Warned Veldt Fires Could Outstrip El Niño Drought as Biggest Threat
Livestock farmers face feed and water shortages, higher animal mortality and forced distress sales due to El Niño-linked drought and fire risk.
The next danger may arrive faster than the drought itself.
Mark
Everyone talks about El Niño as a drought story. Why is a farmers' leader pointing at fire?
Mimi
Because the same dry, hot conditions that starve the grazing also make the veldt burn. Mophuting calls fire the second threat after drought and crop failure, and possibly the most devastating.
Luke
Worth noting that's his assessment. The report doesn't give any data comparing fire damage to drought losses.
Mark
But fires have actually started?
Mimi
He says they've been observed in parts of Ngwaketse, around Jwaneng toward Mabutsane.
Luke
Observed, yes, but no size, no damage figures, no count of farms affected. We don't know how serious they are yet.
Mark
What's the Foot-and-Mouth connection?
Mimi
He warned that uncontrolled fire could have serious consequences in areas with Foot-and-Mouth control fences. The report stops there.
Luke
Right, it doesn't explain the mechanism. I'd hold off assuming fences are burning or disease is spreading. It's a warning, not an event.
Mark
And the fire-control roads?
Mimi
Many have deteriorated because of financial constraints, and he wants farmers to help government maintain them since they run beside farms.
Luke
Notice that's a request, not a funded plan. Whether government and farmers actually coordinate is unanswered.
Der Puls
- Fires have already been sighted around Jwaneng and moving toward Mabutsane, so the threat is no longer a forecast.
- Under the El Niño advisory, ranchers face shrinking grazing, scarce water and rising feed costs that could force distress sales.
- Fire-control roads that once protected farms have worn down under tight public budgets, leaving gaps in defence.
- Farmers are rallying through groups like Bushveld Alert, sharing fire alerts and adopting detection technology.
- Fodder planting with lablab and lucerne is being urged before the dry spell deepens, with uncertain outcomes still ahead.
In the Southern District of Botswana, where cattle ranching is woven into the rhythm of rural life, a warning is spreading from the offices of the Beef Farmers Association in Kanye. Under an El Niño advisory that promises less rain and hotter days, the danger that worries its leader most is not the slow ache of drought but the sudden fire that can race across dry veldt faster than anyone can respond. Such fires have already been seen around Jwaneng and toward Mabutsane, and the farmers who depend on this land are being asked to prepare now, through firebreaks, neighbourly vigilance and the planting of crops that can survive a dry season.
In Kanye, the head of the Southern District Beef Farmers Association, Mosimanegape Mophuting, is warning ranchers that the next danger may come faster than the drought. He describes abrupt veldt fires as the second threat tied to El Niño, behind drought and crop failure, and possibly the most destructive. These fires have already appeared in parts of Ngwaketse, around Jwaneng and stretching toward Mabutsane, and he believes most of the country is now exposed.
The government's El Niño Advisory forecasts below-normal rain, higher temperatures, long dry spells and greater wildfire risk. Livestock farmers already face shortages of feed and water, shrinking grazing, animals losing condition and dying, and pressure to sell stock cheaply. Feeding and watering herds is expected to become much more expensive. Mophuting also warned that uncontrolled fire could cause serious harm in areas with Foot-and-Mouth Disease control fences, and he asked farmers to help maintain fire-control roads that have decayed for lack of funds.
Some communities are already acting. In one area, farmers have formed the Bushveld Alert team to warn one another of fires, coordinate responses and use monitoring technology that sends instant alerts. On feed, Mophuting advises planting fodder now: lablab for dry land, lucerne where water is available, which is already doing well in Mabule and Mahalapye. He suggests such crops could even become a business supplying producers across the region. The coming weeks will show whether fires move toward the fences and whether farmers take up these measures.
In Kanye, in Botswana's Southern District, the head of the Southern District Beef Farmers Association is telling ranchers that the next danger may arrive faster than the drought itself. Mosimanegape Mophuting says abrupt veldt fires are the second threat tied to El Niño, behind drought and crop failure, and potentially the most devastating.
The warning is not hypothetical. Mophuting said fires have already been observed in parts of Ngwaketse, particularly around Jwaneng and stretching toward Mabutsane. Most parts of the country, he said, are already under threat, and he urged farmers to stay vigilant and put preventive measures in place, chiefly cut-lines or firebreaks around ranches and paddocks.
The backdrop is an El Niño Advisory Status now in force across Botswana. Government has warned of below-normal rainfall, above-normal temperatures, prolonged dry spells and a heightened risk of wildland fires. For livestock farmers the list of pressures is long: feed and water shortages, collapsing grazing capacity, deteriorating animal condition, higher mortality and forced distress sales. The higher temperatures are expected to deepen the strain, and the cost of supplementary feeding and water supply is projected to rise sharply.
Mophuting pointed to one consequence specific to the region's cattle country. Failure to control fire, he warned, could carry serious consequences in areas with Foot-and-Mouth Disease control fences. He did not spell out the details in the account of his remarks.
He also asked farmers to help government maintain fire-control roads, many of which have deteriorated because of financial constraints. Many of those roads run alongside farms, which makes farmers natural partners in keeping them passable.
Some have already organised. In his area, a group of farmers has formed the Bushveld Alert team, which lets members notify one another of fire emergencies, coordinate responses and issue reports. The team has adopted monitoring technology that detects fire and sends instant alerts. Mophuting encouraged other farmers to use such technology where they can, to reduce the risk of future disasters.
On feed, his advice was to prioritise ploughing fodder crops now, ahead of the dry spell. Farmers with limited water should consider lablab, which thrives in dry conditions, while those with better access to water could plant lucerne. He noted that lucerne is already succeeding in areas such as Mabule and Mahalapye, and that other drought-tolerant grasses are available depending on a farm's water situation. Such crops, he added, could become a business in their own right, supplying other producers across the region and beyond.
What to watch is whether fires spread near the Foot-and-Mouth control fences, and whether farmers take up the drought-tolerant crops and fire-alert systems he is recommending.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Failure to control fire could have serious consequences in areas with Foot-and-Mouth Disease control fences (paraphrased).— Mosimanegape Mophuting, Southern District Beef Farmers Association
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