Between 40 to 60 percent of Zimbabwe’s population could be food insecure by September 2022, according to the Food Assistance Outlook Brief prepared by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).
FEWS NET report indicates that only Zimbabwe and Somalia have 40 percent to 60 percent of their populations at risk of being food insecure in September 2022.
“Below to average harvests are expected nationwide due to poor and erratic rainfall during the 2021/22 agricultural season. By September, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are likely to have emerged in multiple deficits producing areas in southern, eastern, and northern areas, and needs will rise to levels similar to September 2019, but remain below September 2020,” said FEWS NET.
Both Zimbabwe and Somalia are in Phase 3 of the Acute Food Insecurity Pha Descriptions meaning there is a Food insecurity crisis.
“At least 1 in 5 households face significant food consumption gaps with high or above usual acute malnutrition or is marginally able to meet the minimum food needs only with unsustainable coping strategies such as liquidating livelihood assets,” FEWS NET explains Phase 3.
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso is in Phase 4 entailing an Emergency situation despite having a million to 9.9 million citizens similar to Zimbabwe and Somalia to endure food insecurity by September 2022.
“Some households will begin consuming green harvests, and pastoral households will benefit from improved water and fodder availability with the end of the rainy season. However, high staple food prices and expanding conflict will continue to drive atypically high needs. IDPs and poor households in inaccessible municipalities of Oudalan and Soum provinces are likely to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes, while Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected in the north and east,” FEWS NET says.
Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
