What is El Nino?

El Nino is a weather cycle – a naturally occurring weather episode that sees the warm waters of the central Pacific expand eastwards towards North and South America.

El Nino happens every two to seven years. It usually peaks late in the year, although the effects can persist well into the following spring and last up to 12 months. El Nino is part of what is known as the El Nino- Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle - the opposite phase of the cycle is called La Nina. La Nina is sometimes referred to as the cold phase and El Nino the warm phase.

By some measures 2015 was the strongest El Nino on record, driving up global temperatures and disrupting weather patterns. As a result, 2015 was the world’s warmest weather year. El Nino has exacerbated droughts in some areas, whilst it has increased flooding in others. Some of the worst impact has been felt in Africa, with food shortages peaking in February 2016.

Research 1.Which El Nino year before 2015 was the most severe? 2.What was the greatest recorded sea surface temperature in degrees Celsius? 3.What is this temperature in Degrees fahrenheit? °C × 9/ = °F

Drought in Lesotho

Lesotho is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa, with a population of 1.8 million people.

In Lesotho El Nino has caused a lack of rainfall There is an agricultural drought – changing weather patterns with dry winds and high temperatures speeding up evapotranspiration. What is evapotranspiration?

Lesotho is currently suffering from the worst drought in it’s history. A state of emergency has been declared by the government, and hundreds of thousands of families are facing life-threatening food shortages.

The impact on livestock and crop production has been profound and deadly. Drought has affected normal cropping, grazing practices and rotation patterns in most areas of Lesotho. Rangelands are severely affected such that there is no adequate grass for livestock to feed on.

Field production in Lesotho is based largely on rain- fed agriculture rather than irrigation. The current situation has forced many farmers to abandon a high proportion of fields this year – we estimate as much as 75% fallow What wider impact do you think this could have?

Malehloenya Tsenoli of Marabeng in Berea district- Lesotho points to a 9.5 acre field where she normally produces maize and sorghum. This season, she has planted maize only in 2 acres because of the drought. Roughly half of the field had been abandoned observed. That’s half of the potential production gone.

A dam where farmers harvest water for irrigation until recently - now reduced to silt. A stream from which livestock drink is down to a trickle. The drought situation in Lesotho has affected the quality & quantity of available water for livestock, crops, drinking and basic hygiene.

Fruiting trees have been one of the success stories for Lesotho. However, the quality of the fruits is now also being affected by the drought and this means low yield and finally the loss of money to the fruit producers in Lesotho.

Send a Cow are currently running an emergency appeal to start introducing drought resistant crops and vegetables into our existing projects. We are trying to prevent the drought turning into a disaster. Unlike field crops, some vegetables can be grown through the winter – even though winter in Lesotho is often harsh with cold temperatures, hail and even snow. Our training includes how to protect vegetables from the winter weather and we are helping farmers to plant more vegetables now. Visit for more informationwww.sendacow.org/lesothonow