SA farmers brace for return of El Niño, as water and food security could be at risk | Business

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After a few years of more favourable La Niña weather conditions, South Africa's agricultural sector is bracing for a return of El Niño. | News24_Business

A field of dying maize plants in Nsanje District, southern Malawi, under a blue sky with clouds, during the severe drought of 2016, caused by El Niño.Scientific predictions indicated that La Niña is winding down and El Niño is to follow later this year.

Roughly 20% of maize, 15% of soybean, 34% of sugarcane, and nearly half of the wheat production are produced under irrigation. The rest is rain-fed. In fruits and vegetables, a sizeable area relies on irrigation. Irrigation also plays an important role in the livestock sector. "Learnings from this period included adopting precision agriculture and essentially doing more with less. This, along with climate-smart agriculture and a focus on improving soil health and boosting soil carbon levels, is valuable in a drought year," says Hudson.

"A drought can be particularly challenging for livestock farmers given that we only recently came out of a drought period which some parts of the country are still experiencing," says Dewald Olivier of the SA Feedlot Association.

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