New York \u2014 Zimbabwe\u2019s food situation is moving from a crisis to an emergency because of El Nino-induced drought and the ongoing economic meltdown, the United Nations has said.<\/p>\n
Plaxedes Chibura of Epworth, located about 20km south-east of Harare, is in desperate need of food aid.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have resorted to just one meal a day,\u201d said Chibura (48), who struggles to care for her grandchildren.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt times, it\u2019s just the vegetables we get in our garden. We are struggling to get money to buy food. I wish donors would bring us food, especially for the
\nchildren, as I am not employed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven school fees I can\u2019t pay. One of them [the children] was not well, so we incurred medical bills.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to a recent report by UN aid agencies and the government, Zimbabwe needs about $218 million to stave off hunger for about 5,5 million people between
\nnow and April 2020, when the next harvest is expected. That\u2019s assuming there will be enough rain.<\/p>\n
Bishow Parajuli, the coordinator of UN agencies in Zimbabwe, urged farmers to invest in irrigation and small grains as part of efforts to reduce the effects of
\nclimate.<\/p>\n
The world body says Zimbabwe is among several southern African nations hit by extreme weather in the 2018-19 growing season.<\/p>\n
The drought has devastated crops \u2014 especially naize, which is used to make the staple food sadza, a thick porridge that is served with relish.<\/p>\n
In addition, Cyclone Idai in March destroyed many crops a few weeks before harvest time.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, we are moving from a crisis to an emergency, which is pretty serious,\u201d Parajuli said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso the economic challenges facing the country, people have lost their income. The situation is really precarious.\u201d<\/p>\n
The drought has also affected the water supply. Michael Chideme, the spokesman for Harare City Council, says two of the capital\u2019s reservoirs have dried out and
\nothers are following suit. Water rationing has begun.<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe\u2019s hopes now depend on \u201cthe generosity of the international community\u201d, Parajuli said.<\/p>\n
World Food Programme (WFP) spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said the crisis was likely to last until September with a further deterioration into December that
\nwould widen the impact to more than 4,7 million people.<\/p>\n
He said the hunger period would peak at the height of the lean season, from January through March 2020, when 59% of rural households, or over 5.5 million
\npeople, would be food-insecure.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the scale and scope of the food insecurity in Zimbabwe,\u201d Verhoosel said, \u201cWFP is planning to scale up to assist over two million people\u201d by the peak of
\nthe lean season during early next year.<\/p>\n
Until then, teams will continue providing food assistance to the most vulnerable populations, while also helping communities to build resilience to climate
\nchange and future shock impacts.<\/p>\n
Over the next nine months, the WFP urgently requires $173 million to meet these needs. \u2014 VOA\/ UN News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New York \u2014 Zimbabwe\u2019s food situation is moving from a crisis to an emergency because of El Nino-induced drought and the ongoing economic meltdown, the United Nations has said. Plaxedes Chibura of Epworth, located about 20km south-east of Harare, is in desperate need of food aid. \u201cWe have resorted to just one meal a day,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":1737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[152,345,55,348],"class_list":{"0":"post-11457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-community","9":"tag-crisis","10":"tag-food","11":"tag-government","12":"tag-un"},"yoast_head":"\n