The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FewsNet) projects that Zimbabwe will grapple with a severe food crisis by next March, attributing the strain to dwindling food stocks, financial barriers to food access, and looming high food prices.
FewsNet, a global leader in acute food insecurity forecasting, reports that El Niño may trigger a significant shortfall in rainfall. Such erratic patterns during the 2023/24 rainy season are likely to reduce crop planting and compromise the 2024 harvest. The network anticipates a drop in agricultural jobs and household income in the latter part of this year and well into 2024.
Recent analysis by FewsNet suggests that below-average harvests will likely cause food prices to spike, putting additional pressure on economically vulnerable populations. Furthermore, some farmers are stockpiling their grain in anticipation of El Niño’s effects, a strategy expected to send grain prices soaring in already deficient regions and heighten reliance on maize meal.
According to a report by Newsday Zimbabwe, the report also highlights that inflated prices and low incomes will make it challenging for many households to afford commercial seeds and fertilizers.
As hunger intensifies, roughly 3.7 million Zimbabweans have registered for the government’s social food aid this year, a move propelled by last year’s El Niño-driven drought.
The Grain Marketing Board has confirmed it holds grain reserves of 200,245 metric tonnes, including 48,243 metric tonnes of maize and traditional grains, as of October 29. Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister Jenfan Muswere, in a recent Cabinet update, mentioned that this supply is poised to last for ten months at the current consumption rate of 23,000 metric tonnes per month.
In an effort to counteract this trend, Zimbabwe is targeting an increase in its agricultural yields for the 2023/2024 summer season. The production goals include 2.8 million metric tonnes of maize, 120,000 metric tonnes of soybeans, 150,000 metric tonnes of sunflower, 350,000 metric tonnes of sorghum, 92,658 metric tonnes of pearl millet, and 270,000 metric tonnes of cotton.
This outlook stresses the critical need for strategic actions to avert a deepening food security crisis in Zimbabwe.
