How livestock keepers can deal with effects of drought

Mzee Charles Ng'undo of Iviani Village in Makueni County is among livestock farmers who got trained on drought resilience by World Animal Protection (WAP) under the Animals in Disaster Initiative [Gardy Chacha/Standard]

Thirty-eight per cent of the world’s land is exposed to drought, and heat waves will occur 10 times more often going forward.

This emerged during the Africa-Arab Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction Conference that took place in Tunis, Tunisia, last month.

Scientists predict much erratic weather with intense highs and lows, said Dr Judy Kimaru, a veterinarian and disaster operations manager at World Animal Protection (WAP).

Kenya in light of past droughts (and famine), Kimaru opines, is one of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa expected to face frequent and high intensity droughts.

Going forward, Kimaru had the following hard suggestions for farmers to follow while preparing for droughts.

Preserve food and water:

During the rainy season, the capacity to cultivate forage is high. But not many farmers see this period as a time to stock up for the future.

During drought, food and water become scarce. “Without food and water livestock eventually die,” says Kimaru.

Hay, she says, when dried and packaged well can last for years.

Simple water dams dug on water channels can conserve water to last animals for months.

Make silage:

Silage is fermented, high-moisture forage made from crops and fed to grazing livestock. Usually molasses are added to silage, thereby increasing its nutritive value. A crop (like napier grass) is harvested and chopped up. It is then piled in a silo or pit; compressed to exclude air and covered with a plastic sheet. Dr Kimaru says, “Silage is an important way for farmers to feed cows and sheep during times when pasture isn’t good, such as the dry season.”

Keep animals sheltered from the sun:

In line with conserving water, the farmer will need to keep the animals under shade and away from direct sunlight. This would limit the amount of water the animals lose from sun’s heat.

“It would also reduce the amount of water they need to drink to stay alive and be productive,” says Dr Kimaru.

Follow recommended vaccination:

Frequency of livestock diseases tend to increase during disasters.

Drought causes stress on livestock and stress makes it easier for the animals to suffer disease.

Important livestock diseases during drought include: Rift Valley Fever, East Coast Fever (ECF), foot and mouth disease (FMD) malignant catarrhal fever, anthrax and rabies. Some of these diseases can be vaccinated against early.

Easy identification:

If preparation is inadequate during drought, farmers may be forced to venture beyond the safety of the farm in search of pasture. Livestock, too, may take off in search of food and water. Different options of livestock identification – ear tagging, ear tattooing, number tagging, branding and ear notching – come in handy in tracing lost livestock.

Emergency evacuation:

In worst case scenario, this would be the last option when measures the farmer has put in place fail to outlast the drought. Or the drought is too severe.

“The farmer should be prepared for the possibility that they may need to move the animals to a different location on a long-term basis: it could be a government facility,” says Kimaru.

“This would especially make sense for farmers who live in parts of the country that experience long droughts.”