Lawrence Abison walks along the bank of the Likhubula River, stopping every few metres to inspect the grass.
asserted
Abison → walk → grass
He eventually moves towards a patch of green Napier grass and reeds.
asserted
He → move → grass
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who → die → power
The 25-year-old takes out a sickle.
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old → take → sickle
With three friends, he starts cutting.
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he → start → friends
They work through the morning, tying the grass into bundles, carrying them uphill and returning to the river for more.
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They → work → more
They left Nsanjama, 27km away, at dawn.
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They → leave → dawn
After two hours of cutting, they had gathered enough grass to feed 10 cattle for one day.
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they → cut → day
Later that afternoon, dozens of other men carrying bundles of grass could be seen around Chitakale in Mulanje district.
uncertain
dozens → carry → district
They had come from different directions, searching for fodder for cattle kept on farms across the district.
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They → come → district
“It’s very hard to find the grass these days, that’s why we have travelled this long distance,” Abison told Al Jazeera, sweating.
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Abison → ’ → Jazeera
“Even here, the grass is not enough for a week and we need to proceed farther.
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we → need → week
The Likhubula River flows from Mount Mulanje, the 3,002-metre massif rising sharply from the plains of southern Malawi.
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River → flow → Malawi
People living around the river say they have seen changes in the water and vegetation over the years.
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they → live → years
In some places, they say, the river has become shallower, while trees and grass along its banks have disappeared.
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trees → say → banks
The changes are being felt by farmers who depend on the river, not only for water, but also for grass to feed their cattle.
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who → feel → cattle
Malawi experienced dry spells and high temperatures in parts of the country during the 2023/24 rainfall season, while El Nino affected rainfall patterns across southern Africa.
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Nino → experience → Africa
The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services warned then of below-normal rainfall and prolonged dry spells in parts of Malawi, with southern areas among those facing the increased threat of drought.
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areas → warn → drought
For farmers in Mulanje, the immediate problem is finding enough feed for their cattle.
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problem → find → cattle
A longer journey for cattle feed
Abison and other fodder gatherers say they have started making trips to the rivers earlier than they used to.
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they → say → rivers
Previously, they would cycle to the river after October.
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they → cycle → October
This year, they had already been making the journey for months.
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they → make → months
They are also travelling farther.
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They → travel → ?
That has brought them into competition with people living close to the rivers, who also depend on the vegetation.
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who → bring → vegetation
Reeds are used locally to make mats, while grass is needed to feed livestock.
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grass → use → livestock
Macdonald Khandalawo, 54, has kept cattle in Nsanjama, in the area of Traditional Authority Juma, since 2014.
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Khandalawo → keep → 2014
He has 10 cattle and sends men such as Abison to the rivers to collect grass.
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He → have → grass
He says the cost of keeping the animals has risen as the grass becomes harder to find.
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grass → say → animals
“After the rains have stopped, we look for the grass around here but due to the change in climate there has been scarcity of grass.
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we → stop → grass
That is why we send these boys to those rivers,” Khandalawo said.
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Khandalawo → send → rivers
“It’s a long distance and sometimes they take the whole day.
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they → ’ → day
The lack of feed has affected his cows’ milk production, he said.
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he → affect → production
The animals are eating less and the feed arrives later.
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feed → eat → ?
Maize bran, which farmers use to supplement grass, is also scarce and expensive, farmers say.
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farmers → use → grass
Lower maize harvests have made the bran harder to afford.
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bran → make → ?
Khandalawo also points to another pressure on the rivers: cultivation along their banks.
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Khandalawo → point → banks
“Our complaint is that people are cultivating even in riverbanks.
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people → cultivate → riverbanks
Previously, you would find plenty of reeds, plenty of grass, but now you can’t find it because some of our friends who grow vegetables are cultivating even where the water is,” he said.
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he → find → vegetables
“Because of that, the water is drying up faster and grass is scarce.
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grass → dry → that
“If possible, we want it to be like before where people were not allowed to cultivate beyond some metres in the riverbanks.
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people → want → riverbanks
…and 23 more, not listed.
The Aporia
