by Chris Muronzi "A total of 60 percent of Zimbabwe's 14 million population is considered food-insecure and living in a household that is unable to obtain enough food to meet basic needs.By the end of this year, the food security situation is expected to 5.5 million people, 38 percent of the rural population, is currently facing food insecurity.Periodic droughts, poor rains and erratic weather patterns have been blamed on last season's poor agricultural production.The number of food-insecure people is expected to almost double in early 2020 compared with the same period in the prior year. Zimbabwe faces an economic crisis where shortages of cash, fuel and electricity cripple people’s access to basic food.“High staple prices in the region are contributing to below-average purchasing power for a significant number of poor households,” Fewsnet said, mainly because prices are trending 5% to 10% above the five-year average in South Africa, the region’s biggest producer and the source of much of the region’s milled corn.Farmers in Zimbabwe traditionally plant corn in November when the rainy season begins. The country, once the region’s breadbasket and rich in fertile crops, is currently plagued by widespread drought and flooding. According to recent data, about 5.5 million people, 38 percent of the rural population, currently faces food insecurity.The UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, who was in the troubled Southern African country from November In her preliminary findings, she said the international community should scale up humanitarian aid to eliminate hunger and malnutrition in the country. "The most vulnerable segments of society, including the elderly, children and women, are forced to rely upon coping mechanisms such as, school dropout, early marriage, and sex trade to obtain food, behavioural patterns that often are accompanied by domestic violence," she said. Zimbabwe's food crisis: 'Food security is national security' According to recent data, about 5.5 million people, 38 percent of the rural population, currently faces food insecurity. "I urgently call on the government and the international community to come together to put an end to this spiralling crisis before it morphs into a full-blown social unrest.
Millions of rural Zimbabweans are too poor to plant and farm corn, the country’s staple food. Never has this been truer than in today's Zimbabwe.
Civil servants, doctors, nurses, and teachers are no longer able to feed their families without alternative sources of livelihood," she said.The situation, according to Elver, is so bad in the urban areas that several people are surviving on just one meal. "I witnessed the consequences of the disastrous economic crisis on the streets of Harare, with people spending long hours queuing for fuel, as well in front of banks to get cash, and in shops to obtain cooking gas or water. Millions of rural Zimbabweans are too poor to plant and farm corn, the country’s staple food. On your computer, tablet smart phone or on our App its quick, easy and free access all the news you love.NewZimbabwe.com is updated continually with the latest news to help you feed your addiction with stories & photos from Zimbabwe and many more! At best, some schools are able to offer one meal a week per classroom. Zimbabwe is facing its worst hunger crisis in a decade with half of the population – 7.7 million people – food insecure, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. A SWATHE of Zimbabwe, running from the southwest to the northeast, faces a “Phase 3” food crisis after a sporadic start to the November to March rainy season, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network said.Phase 3 is just two steps down from full-blown famine, the USAID-funded Fewsnet said in an emailed statement on Friday.
Most of the public schools in Harare are no longer able to continue their school feeding programmes.
"The report paints a desperately gloomy picture of the humanitarian situation in the country. But the effort has largely failed after the Zimdollar quickly fell prey to black market speculation that sent its value plummeting.The Zimbabwe dollar is currently trading at 1:20 against the US dollar on the black market. It creates behaviour and conditions that violate their most fundamental human rights. So far, they’ve received as little as 55% of normal rainfall, with the luckiest receiving 85%.NewZimbabwe.com – The Zimbabwe News You Trust is Zimbabwe’s leading online newspaper and published by New Zimbabwe Media Ltd.The platform brings you the latest breaking News, Business, Showbiz, Sports, Diaspora and gives you everything you’ve come to expect and love. "She said early warning mechanisms to monitor the economic and social rights of the citizens should be put in place to prevent further suffering.Elver said the food security situation in urban areas was a cause for concern, saying the currency crisis, a heavy tax system, unpredictable inflation rates, high levels of unemployment and low wages had worsened the food crisis affecting urban households.Zimbabwe adopted the use of the US dollar in 2009 after hyperinflation drastically reduced the value of the local currency.But "dollarising" the economy hit a major bump in 2015 when greenbacks started vanishing from the formal banking system.In a bid to end the US dollar shortage, Zimbabwe's central bank introduced bond notes - a form of surrogate currency - that was backed by a $200m bond facility from the Africa Export-Import Bank. The forecast for the region is for “below average rainfall,” it said.Parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi will also be affected, it added.It’s the second drought in as many years. Our Forums are vibrant and gives everyone a chance to be heard. Zimbabwe is currently facing its worst food shortage in over a decade, leaving almost 8 million people food-insecure.