According to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) due to the prolonged drought and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, millions in that country face food insecurity. WFP plans to double the number of people it assists but needs over $200m for its emergency response in the first half of 2020.
Niels Balzer, WFP’s Deputy Director in Zimbabwe highlighted that “As things stand, we will run out of food by end of February, coinciding with the peak of the hunger season when needs are at their highest. Firm pledges are urgently needed as it can take up to three months for funding commitments to become food on people’s tables said Niels Balzer, WFP’s Deputy Director in Zimbabwe.
Droughts have affected food production in Zimbabwe hence 2019’s maize harvest has been down 50% since 2018, with overall cereal output less than half the national requirement. In December, maize was only available in half of the markets WFP monitors countrywide hence WFP was forced to launch an emergency lean season assistance programme.
Inflation is a wide-ranging economic crisis in Zimbabwe which has driven the prices of basic supplies beyond the reach of most. The country has seen drastic price increases where bread now costs 20 times what it cost six months ago, while the price of maize has nearly tripled over the same period.. This season’s rains are late and short with planted seeds have failed to germinate in many areas, forcing families to eat less, sell off livestock and possibly fall into debt. Forecasts of continuing hot and dry weather in the weeks ahead signal poor harvest in April, putting lives and livelihoods at risk.
Drought and floods have affected the availability of food across Southern Africa; nearly 200,000 metric tonnes of food is required to deliver assistance to the 4.1 million people targeted by WFP. The food would be sourced and shipped to neighboring countries such as South Africa or Mozambique and moved by road into Zimbabwe. “While WFP now has the staff, partners, trucking and logistics capacity in place for a major surge in Zimbabwe, it is essential that we receive the funding to be able to fully deliver,” added Balzer.
