Dry season causes grazing conditions to deteriorate in most regions

According to the December 2014 Agricultural Inputs and Household Food Security Assessment Report,  grazing conditions in various parts of the regions is said to have deteriorated during the course of the dry season. Though conditions are reported to range between fair to poor the situation is much better than the drought condition in 2013. According to farmers, this current season is better than the previous season which saw many farmers losing many of their livestock. In general, there were few cases of livestock deaths related to poor grazing conditions.

In 2013, many farmers lost a lot of their livestock due to poor grazing conditions. Although, the regions noted a delay in the onset of the 2014/2015 rainfall in which productive rainfall was received as from mid November instead of October, it was then reported that most parts of the country have since received good showers. As such, grazing is expected to recover as more good rainfall is reportedly falling in various areas countrywide. In the Zambezi region, grazing conditions are reported to be fair to poor in the eastern part of the region (that is Kabbe North and Kabbe South, Katima Rural constituencies as well as areas along the river in the Linyanti and Lyaboloma constituencies), due to higher concentration of animals and range between fair to good elsewhere in the region. The report states that grazing in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions, is said to be fair in areas along the river and good in most places inland. However, the region noted with great concern the incidence of veld fires inland, this, has resulted in very poor grazing conditions in the affected areas. The north central regions reported poor grazing conditions with all the four north central regions equally affected. According to farmers, grazing was affected by a prolonged dry spells in January and  February last year. However, the situation is said to be better when compared to the same period in 2013. The report also states that better to good grazing conditions were reported in the cattle post areas of Omusati and Oshana regions. Many farmers are reported to have moved some of their livestock to some of these areas for better grazing conditions. Water availability for livestock was noted to be satisfactory in all the regions visited. Most livestock are said to get water from various sources such as wells, boreholes, dams, river and pipelines.