Happy Letsitsa hasn't paid off the money he borrowed to survive a 2019 drought that ravaged his maize and sunflower farm in the South African province of Free State.
He has no drought insurance. If rains fail again, they could spell the end of his business, which supports his wife, child, father and extended family.
"It's like going to a casino and playing a high bet," he said, describing what it's like to run his smallholder farm without drought coverage. "It's not easy, especially if you've got one stream of income: farming."
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