FMD affects livestock productivity

THE foot and mouth disease (FMD) has significantly constrained livestock productivity and negatively impacted livelihoods, particularly in the southern region of the country, a report has said.

According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVac) lean season monitoring report for January 2019, FMD was adversely affecting reproduction and production of cattle.

“Livestock makes a significant contribution to the livelihoods of many households, particularly in the southern districts. However, FMD has been a major setback in the reproduction of cattle, affecting many lives.

“FMD was most prevalent in the border districts of Beitbridge, Centenary, Rushinga and Mudzi. However, other districts that reported FMD were Chikomba, Mhondoro Ngezi, Murehwa, Mazowe and parts of Mwenezi,” reads part of the report.

The report said drought levels due to poor rainfall had also increased significantly leading to the loss of livestock.

“Grazing across the whole country is generally poor and inadequate. Significant and unusual livestock deaths due to drought have been recorded in several districts in Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Masvingo.

“Generally, the condition of livestock range from poor to fair in all districts and poorer in the southern parts of the country, which include Midlands, Matabeleland South, Manicaland and Mashonaland East,” reads the report.

These districts, the report added, had inadequate water for livestock and were relying on distant water sources.

“Generally, grazing was inadequate in most districts and most critical in the southern districts. Quality was generally poor even in districts which had adequate grazing,” reads the report.

“The disease outbreaks, the report added, also affected cattle prices in the affected areas, as farmers would be forced to drop prices,” read the report.

“Some districts reported depressed prices due to disease outbreaks. These included Mhondoro Ngezi.

“Cattle ranged between $500 and $1 000 per average beast. The highest prices were reported in Tsholotsho and Muzarabani where an average beast was being sold between $1 500 and $ 2 000.”

The 2019 lean season assessment was conducted with the objective of updating the ZimVAC peak hunger period projections as well as broader rural and urban livelihoods in Zimbabwe.

Other objectives of the assessment included updating the state of food security within the rural and urban areas, analysing the resilience capacity of households and ability to cope with shocks and assessing the performance of the 2018/19 agriculture season.

— @pamelashumba1