Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
SOUTHERN African nations must immediately start preparing for a moderate to very strong El Niño event predicted for late 2026 into early 2027, which could cause widespread harvest failures across the region.
Speaking at the SADC Ministers of Agriculture meeting in Victoria Falls yesterday, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr Anxious Masuka, warned that early climate models point to a super El Niño developing in the 2026/2027 season.
“Climate change has become an everyday reality. The development of a super El Niño… should spur us to develop appropriate mitigation and adaptation measures,” said Dr Masuka.
He added that Zimbabwe and other regional countries are forecast to become drier due to climate change, stressing the need to climate-proof agriculture.
SADC Deputy Executive Secretary Ms Angele Makombo N’Tumba reinforced the warning, revealing a 77 percent chance of a moderate-to-very-strong El Niño from October-December 2026 to January 2027.
She cautioned that such strong events historically bring below-average rainfall across central and southern SADC regions, leading to significant harvest failures.
“We must start preparing now for such a possibility,” Ms N’Tumba urged.
The meeting came as SADC faces uneven agricultural outcomes, with some states celebrating bumper harvests while others have seen crops and livestock washed away by floods.
Agriculture sustains over 70 percent of the region’s population. Ms N’Tumba emphasised that decisive, coordinated action is required.
“Our people are counting on us to safeguard the resilience of our agrifood systems and protect their livelihoods,” she said.
Dr Masuka also hailed SADC for achieving the highest score among African Union regions in agricultural development reviews. He called on member states to accelerate adoption of climate-resilient strategies.
