The Zimbabwean government's whole "leave no one behind" slogan is getting wrecked by a cattle plague in the Midlands Province. A major shortage of dipping chemicals, needed to fight disease, is killing livestock. Desperate farmers in areas like Mberengwa are selling their cows for next to nothing just to buy donkeys for plowing.
This crisis hits way harder than just losing work animals. Cattle are basically a walking bank account for these families, covering school fees and emergencies. Selling them off for peanuts wrecks generational wealth, with middlemen making a killing. Donkeys cannot handle the tough soil like oxen can, which means less land gets farmed. Some people have resorted to tilling fields by hand with hoes, a brutal step backwards that slashes potential food yields.
With the rains already falling, every day without a real fix means smaller harvests. The situation makes a joke of the government's development promises. Letting this continue basically guarantees these communities get left behind in the worst way possible.
This crisis hits way harder than just losing work animals. Cattle are basically a walking bank account for these families, covering school fees and emergencies. Selling them off for peanuts wrecks generational wealth, with middlemen making a killing. Donkeys cannot handle the tough soil like oxen can, which means less land gets farmed. Some people have resorted to tilling fields by hand with hoes, a brutal step backwards that slashes potential food yields.
With the rains already falling, every day without a real fix means smaller harvests. The situation makes a joke of the government's development promises. Letting this continue basically guarantees these communities get left behind in the worst way possible.
