Zambia: El Niño Pushes Zambian Farmers to Question Maize Habit
Forward-thinking farmers in drought-hit Zambia are planning to trim the amount of maize they plant, switching to faster-growing crops such as beans that can better survive erratic weather.
"I will have to stop growing maize and find other crops to sustain our livelihood because we have had no rains this season," said Sinoya Phiri, a 42-year-old peasant farmer in Katyoka village, around 27 km (16.78 miles) south of the capital Lusaka.
He usually plants his maize crop between November 15 and 20, at the onset of the rainy season, but last year the rains did not come except for one downpour in mid-December.
Rosana Prada
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