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| Desert area /photo/© Mtemwapoetry. |
Maasai herder Mathias Kuyoni has watched his once-proud herd of Zebu cattle stumble across a cracked, dust-blown landscape. The animals, ribs visible under their hides, move slowly—their heads low, tongues lolling. “They are tired,” Mathias Kuyoni says, his voice heavy. “The grass is gone, the water is bitter, and the heat… it is like a fire that never sleeps.”
climate change is turning livestock survival into a daily battle, with millions of people depending on livestock for their lives .
In Tanzania’s semi-arid regions, temperatures now regularly exceed 40°C (104°F)—a threshold that pushes cattle into dangerous heat stress. The Tanzania Meteorological Authority data indicate that the number of extreme heat days has doubled since 2000.
“Cows evolved for cooler savannas, not furnaces,” say Dr. Grace Msoffe, a veterinary researcher in Mwanza “When overheated, they reduce feed intake, produce less milk, and become vulnerable to diseases. For pastoralists, that means less income, less nutrition, and more debt.”
In the past five years, milk yields in central Tanzania have dropped by an estimated 30%, a blow to both household nutrition and local markets.
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| Illustration of salt ground water |
Groundwater levels have plunged, and what remains is often saline due to prolonged droughts. “Cows are drinking salty water, which causes kidney damage and diarrhea,” says herder Marco Mohamed from Singida. “We lose calves every season.”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that East Africa’s arid zones are warming faster than the global average, with rainfall patterns becoming erratic—longer dry spells punctuated by intense, destructive floods. When rains do come, they often arrive too violently for the parched soil to absorb, washing away topsoil and scarce vegetation.The rise of Invasive species like Prosopis juliflora (mathenge) have overtaken native grasses in many areas, offering little nutritional value. Cows forced to browse on thorny shrubs suffer mouth injuries and digestive issues.
“Our grazing lands have shrunk by half in my lifetime,” says Mathias Kuyoni. “We used to move herds across great distances, but now even the migration routes are blocked by farms or dried out.”
In the Horn of Africa, consecutive failed rainy seasons have decimated herds, pushing pastoralist communities toward famine.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that by 2030, climate-driven losses in livestock productivity could cost sub-Saharan Africa over $40 billion annually in economic damages.
In northern Tanzania, solar-powered boreholes now provide reliable water. Herders are also experimenting with drought-resistant forage crops like lablab and prickly pear cactus.
“We are crossing hardier indigenous breeds with heat-tolerant varieties,” says Dr. Msoffe. “But it’s a race against time.”
Behind every struggling cow is a family’s vulnerability. “Cattle are our bank, our pride, our future,” says Mohamed Patrick “When they suffer, we suffer.” Many young pastoralists are abandoning herding for overcrowded cities—a trend that threatens cultural heritage and increases urban poverty.
For now, Mathias Kuyoni drives his herd toward a distant water point, praying the sky will soon break. “The cows are silent,” he said, “but their suffering is a cry to the world.”