Last year's El Nino episode and the current La Nina have triggered calls for the improvement of Southern Africa's climate monitoring and disaster preparedness.

Although meteorologists have concluded that most of Southern Africa is set to receive normal rainfall, there is need to implement measures aimed at improving the approach to disasters especially floods.

After several El Nino-induced droughts and floods in the region, a series of workshops this year urged farmers to grow drought-resistant crops in a move that should curtail the region from food shortages towards a more reliable food resource base.

Last year, El Nino did not bring a devastating drought to Southern Africa as had been initially predicted. However, it caused a stir among farmers who either delayed planting or reduced crop hectarage for fear of drought. Parts of Mozambique and Tanzania experienced devastating floods despite predictions of drought. The droughts and floods contributed to below-average harvests in several countries in the region.

To counter the recurrent droughts of recent years, especially the El Nino-induced ones of 1992/3 and 1997/8 seasons, the Sorghum and Millet Improvement Programme of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) say millet and sorghum should be part of the grain market system.

The two institutes point out that most families in the drought-prone regions of Southern Africa have depended on sorghum and pearl millet to provide reliable harvests and adequate food supplies. They say if commercialised, these drought resistant crops will boost the food security of the region while providing income to rural communities.

Some of the drought resistant crops such as sorghum and millet are staple food crops of communities in the semi-arid areas of Southern Africa. These semi-arid areas which include some of the poorest segments of the population in the region, cover approximately 6.8 million sq km and about 35 million of the population.

According to a statement released by the Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum in Harare recently: "The highest probabilities for above normal rainfall are in the south-eastern part of the sub-continent while the north-eastern part of the region should expect normal to below normal rainfall conditions during the period October this year to March next year". Meteorologists indicated that this would be largely influenced by the La Nina factor.

The Climate Outlook Forum considered the La Nina factor as a principal factor contributing to this season's normal rainfall pattern. The opposite of El Nino, La Nina or "the little girl" occurs when a cold phase is experienced across the Pacific. The occurrence of La Nina results in unusually heavy rains in Southern Africa.

Although the region has shown that it can adequately deal with droughts, it is the preparedness for floods that is more worrying. When parts of Tanzania and Mozambique experienced floods last year, the region's lack of preparedness for floods was exposed. Floods occur relatively less frequently in Southern Africa.

Early this year heavy rains pounded Mozambique's northern province of Niassa uprooting trees and damaging a bridge, effectively cutting off the provincial capital, Lichinga from the district of Majune. An outbreak of cholera hit Tanzania after the floods, which also destroyed infrastructure and adversely affected harvests.

An official at the SADC Food Security programme in Harare confirmed that the region had concentrated more on drought since they have occurred more frequently than floods. He pointed out that civil defence preparedness in terms of floods has been concentrated at a more national level.

By ratifying the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology, member states undertook to promote sustainable development with emphasis on climate and protection of the environment.

Within its cooperation framework, the Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology seeks to increase liaison with farmers and other users of weather forecasts to "ensure effective utilization of services".

Commenting on the protocol, Principal Meteorologist at Zimbabwe’s Meteorological Services Department, Wish Marume, in an earlier interview, stressed that governments should prioritise the research in drought monitoring. She urged governments to "carry out awareness campaigns on weather forecasts to enable maximisation of agricultural profits and reduce risks."

"To achieve food security requires going beyond having sufficient food or income to purchase food today. Rather, smallholders need a buffer to resist shocks whether it is drought, changes in prices, floods or pests," writes World Vision Southern Africa's Food Security Coordinator, Negusse Micael in Local Seed Systems News. (SARDC)