(Mpumalanga). The crisis is caused by the fact that the total monthly rainfall in the Triangle was only a fraction of the usual rainfall. Although farmers in Mpumalanga received more rain during optimum planting seasons (compared to other regions), they generally planted later than usual. This of course exposes them to higher risk in terms of crop yields. However, many farmers, especially in the North West and the Free State, were forced to refrain from planting at all as a result of the drought6. The South African drought conditions (Figure 4) are mirrored farther north in the continent, and initial production forecasts across Southern Africa were subsequently lowered, as Graph 1 on the next page illustrates. Figure 4: Agricultural Stress Index – December 2015 (Source: BFAP, 2016) 6 Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy. (2016). Policy Brief on the 2015/2016 Drought. Available at http://www.bfap.co.za/documents/research%20reports/BFAP_Drought%20Policy%20Brief_5%20Febr uary%202016.pdf.