Zimbabwe, a landlocked and food-deficit African country, has witnessed a staggering 57% increase in food insecurity in rural areas. The drought caused by El Nino has devastated crops leaving 7.6 million people on the brink of starvation. Urban areas have also been affected with water shortages and high food prices being common and power outages are frequent.
El Nino is a complex weather phenomenon that affects global weather patterns by warming ocean temperatures in the Pacific. Zimbabwe is impacted by El Nino every five to seven years on average, experiencing altered rainfall patterns and temperature deviations. The last significant El Nino event, which occurred from 2015 to 2016, had a devastating impact on Zimbabwe, with food insecurity affecting almost 2.44 million people.
See also: Zimbabwe declares state of disaster as El Nino drought grips
The government of Zimbabwe is still estimating the damage caused by the drought but it has already announced that it is expected that the agricultural sector will shrink by over 17%, with significant reductions in grain and crop production. This will lead to food insecurity and lost incomes for many families.
Millions of families are already struggling. The Shamhuyarira family in the rural Buhera North District faces food shortage on a daily basis. With their crops having failed due to the drought, they rely on humanitarian aid to survive. The family’s eldest child, a 13-year-old girl, had to drop out of school to help her mother forage for fruits.
Food prices have skyrocketed, making basic staples unaffordable for many. In August, consumer prices rose by 1.4%, driven mainly by increases in the cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages. This sharp spike follows a slight decline of 0.1% in July
The water shortage has triggered a decrease in hydroelectric power generation, forcing Zimbabwe to import at least 500 MW of electricity to meet demand. These factors will negatively impact the country’s economic growth, revenues and expenditure levels in 2024.
See also: Climate change threatens stability in Zimbabwe as water scarcity worsens cholera outbreak
After declaring a state of emergency following the devastating drought in April, President Emmerson Mnangagwa called for US$2 billion in humanitarian aid. In June, Zimbabwe increased the amount requested to US$3.3 billion as the number of food-insecure people surged.
In August, the UN said that 9 million people in both rural and urban areas were expected to be food insecure until March 2025. It has called for $429.3 million to help 3.1 million people to cope with the lack of food.
