No middle ground for crops between drought and deluge for Zimbabwe's farmers
After six years of drought, the forecast was that Zimbabwe was set for good rains and a decent harvest this season - and then came the deluge.
The country has been pounded by torrential rains, with December 2007 the wettest month in 127 years, according to the metrological department. Localised flooding has claimed 21 lives, affecting around 5,000 people along the southeastern border with Mozambique, and a further 3,000 in Muzarabani district in the northeast of the country.
At the end of December the government declared a national disaster, with emergency units keeping a close watch on flood prone areas, UN agencies reported.
