The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide US$11.27 million in aid to the World Food Programme (WFP) to address the challenges posed by the anticipated climate change-induced drought in Zimbabwe.
This will ensure that approximately 230,000 of the most vulnerable people in various districts in the country will access adequate food assistance during the January to March 2024 lean season.
The listed districts that will benefit from the program are Mwenezi, Mangwe, Chivi, and Buhera.
WFP Zimbabwe Representative and Country Director, Francesca Erdelmann, said there will be continuous assessment to ensure that all vulnerable families across the country get assistance.
The funding from USAID will enable WFP to complement the Government-led Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy Programme, which will assist 2.7 million people in all districts across Zimbabwe to help mitigate household food stock depletion, minimize negative coping mechanisms preventing the most vulnerable people from falling deeper into food insecurity.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone in the country has access to nutritious foods and can consume the recommended amounts. The assistance we are acknowledging today, which includes cereals, pulses and fortified vegetable oil, is an important contribution to help the most vulnerable people in rural areas to meet their nutritional needs. I would like to thank USAID for their significant contribution, which undoubtedly saves lives,” she said.
“As WFP delivers assistance this lean season and beyond, it will continue to enhance its monitoring to best serve vulnerable families across the country. Furthermore, WFP will actively engage communities to strengthen their resilience against the anticipated El Niño drought. This involves creating valuable assets such as boreholes, reservoirs, and drip irrigation systems and providing drought-resistant seeds to smallholder farmers.”
According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) report, 26 percent of the rural population will not have enough cereal for consumption and need over 100,000 MT of maize grain during the peak period.
In addition, the predicted El Niño weather phenomenon during the 2023 to 2024 rainfall season indicates below-normal rainfall and high temperatures, which could lead to low production and further increase food insecurity.
