Government taking care of majority of food insecur...

Government taking care of majority of food insecure 3.8 million, says WFP

Audrey Galawu

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Food Programme say they are there to complement government and that the state is taking responsibility for the majority of food insecure Zimbabweans until January 2023.

“3,8 million people are likely to suffer from hunger, especially in rural areas.

“As WFP, we will complement government’s efforts to assist the 3,8 million people. We will coordinate our response and assist 700 000 people while government will cover for the 3,1 million people,” Mariana Dallar from WFP told Zim Now.

She said the country was listed at the beginning of the year as a hunger hotspot due to increased food insecurity and low harvests for the 2021-2022 farming season and continues to be on the list due to low harvests in communal areas, rising food prices and the effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

A FAO report of 2022 highlights that acute food insecurity globally continues to escalate with around 45 million people in 37 countries projected to have so little to eat that they will be severely malnourished.

According to the recently published Global Report on Food Crisis 2022 Mid-year Update, up to 205 million people are expected to face food insecurity and to be in need of urgent assistance in 45 countries.

Zimbabwe is one of the few countries on the list with the capacity to take care of the majority of its own citizens, making it less reliant on external aid.

Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen remain at the highest alert level of hunger hotspot countries.