In parched Malawi rains promise deliverance but also danger
In Malawi, climate change is fuelling a vicious circle of drought and deluge that leaves farmers, families with no time to recover
- Drought-hit Malawi braces for potentially dangerous rains
- Cyclone Chido highlights risk as homes, farms damaged
- Disaster officials struggle to cope with changing climate
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Malawi declared a state of disaster in March 2024 as the drought decimated crops, leaving around 5.7 million people - 20% of the population - facing acute food insecurity.
At the end of the year, rains started in some parts of Malawi, a country where more than 80% of people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, but these downpours have also caused problems among people who have been left with few resources as crops wilted in the fields.
In November, heavy winds and rain struck Namwera, an area in Malawi's old capital Zomba, damaging homes and blowing the drought-resistant mangoes that people rely on for food off the trees.
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