In rural Zimbabwe, Zaniwe Ncube carefully collects her share of cooking oil, a lifeline provided through aid funded by the United States government amid the country’s harsh drought. However, his gratitude is tinged with concern as aid workers inform him that this delivery marks his last visit
Ncube, alongside her 7-month-old son, is one of 2,000 individuals benefiting from vital food supplies like cooking oil, sorghum, and peas in Zimbabwe’s Mangwe district. This assistance program, facilitated by the American aid agency USAID and executed by the United Nations’ World Food Program, is crucial for addressing hunger in the region.
Their goal is to assist a portion of the 2.7 million individuals in rural Zimbabwe facing hunger due to the drought gripping much of southern Africa since late 2023. This drought has devastated crops relied upon by tens of millions of people for survival, despite being during what should be the rainy season.
Their dependence on crops and weather diminishes with each passing day.
The drought plaguing Zimbabwe, as well as neighboring Zambia and Malawi, has escalated to crisis levels. Both Zambia and Malawi have declared national disasters, and Zimbabwe may soon follow suit. Furthermore, the drought has spread to Botswana and Angola in the west, and Mozambique and Madagascar in the east.
Extreme drought in southern Africa leaves millions hungry https://t.co/3aHwYmy5S0
— POLITICO (@politico) March 31, 2024
Just a year ago, this region faced catastrophic tropical storms and floods. Now, it’s trapped in a relentless weather cycle: excessive rainfall followed by severe drought. This pattern of extreme weather, increasingly frequent and devastating, poses a grave threat, particularly to the world’s most vulnerable populations, as warned by scientists.
In Mangwe, people of all ages gathered for food assistance, employing various means to transport their provisions home. Some utilized donkey carts, while others relied on wheelbarrows. Those awaiting their turn patiently sat on the dusty ground, while nearby, a goat foraged for sustenance among sparse bushes.
Extreme drought in southern Africa leaves millions hungry: ‘We have nothing in the fields’ https://t.co/AOVbbFpPGv
— PennLive.com (@PennLive) March 31, 2024
The driest February in Zimbabwe’s recorded history, as reported by the World Food Program’s seasonal monitor, halted Ncube’s usual crop harvest. At 39, she would typically be gathering food for herself, her two children, and a niece under her care, with hopes of surplus to sell.
“We have nothing in the fields, not a single grain,” she stated firmly. “Everything has been burnt by the drought.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund underscores the severity of the situation, describing “overlapping crises” of extreme weather in eastern and southern Africa. These regions have experienced a tumultuous year, oscillating between storms and floods, and heat and drought.
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In southern Africa, an estimated 9 million people, half of them children, require assistance in Malawi. UNICEF reports that over 6 million individuals in Zambia, including 3 million children, are affected by the drought. This constitutes nearly half of Malawi’s population and 30% of Zambia’s.
“Eva Kadilli, UNICEF’s regional director, stated assertively that extreme weather is anticipated to become the norm in eastern and southern Africa in the future. Despite the influence of human-made climate change on global weather patterns, another factor is exacerbating the dry conditions in southern Africa this year.
El Niño, a naturally occurring climatic phenomenon that warms parts of the Pacific Ocean every two to seven years, has diverse impacts on global weather patterns. In southern Africa, it translates to below-average rainfall, and occasional droughts, and is held accountable for the ongoing predicament.
The impact is particularly severe for those in Mangwe, renowned for its aridity. Despite cultivating drought-resistant cereal grains like sorghum and pearl millet, which typically offer a chance at harvest, even these crops failed to withstand this year’s conditions. Francesca Erdelmann, the World Food Program’s country director for Zimbabwe, emphasized that while last year’s harvest was poor, this season’s situation is even direr. ‘This is not a normal circumstance,’ she asserted.
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The first few months of the year traditionally mark the ‘lean months,’ during which households typically experience shortages as they await the new harvest. However, there is scant hope for replenishment this year.
Joseph Nleya, a 77-year-old traditional leader in Mangwe, unequivocally stated that he cannot recall experiencing such intense heat, dryness, and desperation in his lifetime. He remarked, “Dams are devoid of water, riverbeds lie parched, and there are scant boreholes. We used to rely on wild fruits, but they too have withered away.”
Joseph Nleya asserts that individuals are resorting to unlawful means by crossing into Botswana in search of sustenance, highlighting that hunger is driving typically law-abiding citizens toward criminal activities. He emphasized that various aid agencies had forewarned of the looming catastrophe last year.
In response to the dire situation, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has unequivocally stated that a staggering 1 million hectares of his nation’s vital corn crop have been decimated. Similarly, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has urgently requested $200 million in humanitarian aid to address the pressing needs of his country.
The 2.7 million individuals grappling with adversity in rural Zimbabwe represent just a fraction of the larger crisis. A nationwide crop assessment is currently in progress, and authorities are bracing themselves for the impending findings, which are anticipated to reveal a significant surge in the number of individuals requiring assistance, according to the WFP’s Erdelmann.
Given that this year’s harvest is essentially nullified, millions of individuals across Zimbabwe, southern Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar will face prolonged food insecurity extending well into 2025. According to USAID’s Famine Early Warning System, an estimated 20 million people will necessitate food assistance in southern Africa during the initial months of 2024.
Despite the dire need, numerous individuals will be left without assistance, given the constraints faced by aid agencies amidst a global hunger crisis and reduced humanitarian funding from governments.
During the final visit by WFP officials to Mangwe, Ncube found herself contemplating the duration for which the food provisions might sustain her. She expressed hope that it would be adequate to prevent her youngest child from succumbing to malnutrition even before reaching his first birthday.
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