Africa: Drought Threatens to Spread Food Insecurity

On Thursday, the impact of the El Niño-induced drought is threatening millions of people with food insecurity following heavy crop losses in Africa, the World Food Programme (WFP) said.

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Countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi have declared states of disaster after predicting the loss of 40 to 80 percent of their maize crops, the agency said.

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe after describing the impact of the phenomenon on a recent visit to Zambia.

Droughts in Zambia have destroyed crops in areas where 70 percent of the population depends on agriculture for survival, she said.

"I met farmers who normally grow enough to feed their families and communities. This year they harvested nothing. Now imagine a similar scenario for millions of people across southern Africa and you have a humanitarian catastrophe.

Although the end of the last El Niño weather pattern is approaching, droughts will have an impact in the coming months, coupled with rising temperatures and a 20 per cent reduction in the rainfall needed to grow crops.

The Programme stressed the need to raise more funds while its crisis appeal still needs $409 million to benefit 4.8 million people in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe over the next six months.

According to UN estimates, 61 million people were affected by the impact of El Niño in southern Africa, prompting a recent appeal for $5.5 billion at the recent Special Summit of heads of state in the region.

In August 2023, WFP disbursed more than $14 million in advance funding to assist more than 1.2 million affected people.