BY KUDAKWASHE VHENGE
An estimated 4, 3 million people in the country’s rural areas are reported to be facing starvation and requiring urgent humanitarian assistance.
This was revealed in a joint report released by the European Union, FAO, OCHA, UNICEF, USAID and WFP.
The report cited current economic crisis including hyperinflation, shortage of currency, fuel and prolonged power shortages; widespread poverty; high levels of HIV/AIDS; and low agricultural output as drivers of the crisis.
“Zimbabwe remains in the grip of severe food insecurity, with millions of people already requiring humanitarian assistance due to prolonged drought, climate-related shocks, economic deterioration and the situation set to worsen as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads,” reads the report.
“Millions of Zimbabweans are already struggling to put food on the table, having faced prolonged drought and economic hardship for some time. It is imperative that we unite, to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe and provide urgent food assistance safely to prevent an already vulnerable population from slipping deeper into this hunger crisis,” said WFP Country Director and Representative Eddie Rowe.
UNICEF has noted with concern that a remarkable number of children are hard hit by this food crisis.
“Food crises have a major impact on the quality, frequency and diversity of children’s diets and this is compounded by the inability for families across the country to provide adequate childcare during these increasingly challenging times,” said UNICEF Representative, Laylee Moshiri.
Food and Agriculture Organization Representative Jocelyn Brown Hall, have called for robust measures to be put in place in order to make restricted fruits and vegetable markets accessible by both sellers and buyers.
“Measures to curb the further spread of COVID-19 have the potential to impact negatively on the food system in Zimbabwe, such as through restricted access to markets by both farmers and consumers, and a glut of perishable nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. Deliberate measures are needed to prevent and mitigate against these”.
The Global Report on Food Crises is the flagship publication of the The Global Network Against Food Crises, an alliance of humanitarian and development actors united by the commitment to tackle the root causes of food crises and promote sustainable solutions through shared analysis and knowledge, strengthened coordination in evidence-based responses and collective efforts across the Humanitarian, Development and Peace (HDP) nexus.
