Food insecurity high in Mat North & South

FOOD insecurity in rural and urban areas has significantly increased countrywide with Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces being the hardest hit.

According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVac) lean season monitoring report for January 2019, food insecurity prevalence increased in the country with rural households recording 51 percent up from 28 percent last year.

“The food security prevalence is at 51 percent for rural households, an increase from 28 percent projected in 2018. Matabeleland North had the highest proportion of food insecure households while Mashonaland Central and Midlands have the lowest at 47 percent.

Food insecurity prevalence in urban areas also increased. In Harare it increased from 46 to 52 percent, Chitungwiza from 33 to 35 percent while in Bulawayo it increased from 28 to 33 percent, reads part of the ZimVac report.

Nationally, the report added, the most prevalent shocks and hazards were drought, which was at 47 percent, crop pests at 38 percent and livestock deaths at 30 percent.

“Provinces impacted most by drought were Matabeleland South which recorded 74 percent, Matabeleland North 58 percent, Midlands 56 percent, Masvingo 54 percent and parts of Manicaland 40 percent.

“The prevalence of crop pests and livestock diseases remains a threat to household food security. Mashonaland East had the highest prevalence of crop pests at 50 percent and Masvingo had the highest prevalence of livestock diseases at 35 percent while Matabeleland North reported the highest occurrence of human-wildlife conflict,” said the report.

The report indicated that cumulatively, food insecure rural households require a total of 720 707 metric tonnes of cereal to meet their needs over 13 months while households in urban areas require a total of 500 320 metric tonnes.

“A total of $1,4 billion is required to produce cereal and other complementary food items for households both in rural and urban areas,” reads the report.

It also revealed that cash shortages have continued to have a negative impact on livelihoods in both rural and urban areas, while the three tier pricing system contributed to distorted prices of goods and services.

The ZimVac report said generally, communities were faced with a host of shocks and hazards, impacting negatively on their ability to access food and non-food requirements.

The report, said price increases and cash shortages require the attention of the Government and its partners.

In its recommendations, the ZimVac report implored Government and its partners to initiate and strengthen programmes for the identification and treatment of severe and moderate malnutrition in urban and rural areas to maintain rates below global thresholds.

“Casual labour, which stands at 29, 9 percent and food crop production, which is at 10, 6 percent are the most important sources of income for rural households, while formal wages are the most important source of income for urban households.

“As these sources of income are vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change and variability, there’s need to promote income diversification for both urban and rural households,” reads the report. — @pamelashumba1