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GAME INDUSTRY TRENDS ANALYSIS 2024
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Food Scarcity Takes Its Toll On Hungry Zimbabweans
Food scarcity takes its toll on hungry Zimbabweans
By Annelie Coleman | 6 January 2025 | 2:32 pm
At the beginning of January 2025, Zimbabweans faced worsening food shortages due to delayed rains and the ongoing effects of drought.
More than half the population were subject to hunger because of late rains in the 2024/25 production season, which was preceded by the El Niño-induced dearth in the 2023/24 season.
Farmer’s Weekly previously reported on the devastating effect of the drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon in Southern Africa. This resulted in the declaration of a state of disaster in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi and Zambia.
According to bulawayo24.com many farmers had been forced to replant their fields while others were unable to afford new seed due to financial constraints.
Although Zimbabwe’s Meteorological Services Department predicted normal to above-normal rainfall in the second half of the 2024/25 season, the World Food Programme (WFP) issued a warning based on the fact that short-term conditions remained drier than usual.
The WFP said in a recent report that shortages of maize occurred on rural and urban markets in Zimbabwe. Food prices continue to rise, both locally and internationally, further straining household budgets.
“Prices of food on the international market saw a slight upward movement of about 0,5%, with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ price index standing at 127,5 points. This is the largest month-on-month increase since April 2024,” the report read.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network meanwhile expected crisis-level Phase 3 food insecurity in Zimbabwe between October 2024 and March 2025. According to a report by the network, food security was anticipated to improve in April or May during the harvest period.
Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka described the El Niño-induced drought as the worst since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980. He said the state was supporting 12,74 million people, or approximately 83% of the population, with food assistance.
Masuka announced that efforts were underway to mitigate the effects of the drought, including improving irrigation systems and securing food imports.
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