Farmers in South Africa’s Limpopo face unpredictable rainfall, uncertain futures

Farmers near Musina in South Africa's Limpopo province describe abandoning or struggling to sustain crop production as water access grows unreliable, sometimes paying excavation companies to dig into the Limpopo riverbed when levels drop. A University of Venda study covering 1991-2023 found about 15 drought episodes between 2010 and 2023, compared with nine in the prior two decades, alongside rising minimum and maximum temperatures.

A separate 2025 survey of nearly 500 Limpopo households found 89% had experienced severe drought within five years, with about 70% facing food insecurity. Researchers recommend better water storage, drought-tolerant crops and early-warning systems, while noting rainfall itself shows no statistically significant long-term decline, just growing year-to-year variability layered onto rising heat and demand.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.