Zimbabwe, a landlocked, low-income, food-deficit country in Southern Africa, is grappling with the effects of El Niño, exacerbating its semi-arid climate’s variable nature. An estimated 6 million people are expected to be food insecure in Zimbabwe during the 2024-2025 lean season (January to March).
In urban areas, high inflation, rising food prices and fluctuating exchange rates have affected families’ purchasing power and eroded their savings. 1.7 million people (35 percent of the urban population) will be food insecure in 2024.
The 2023 Global Hunger Index classified Zimbabwe’s situation as serious. The country also ranked 159 out of 193 in the 2022 Human Development Index. Factors such as widespread poverty, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, limited employment opportunities and recurrent climate-induced shocks contribute to food insecurity.
The World Food Programme (WFP) supports social protection, promotes robust food systems, and assists vulnerable populations. WFP enhances local capacities for emergency response, strengthens links between food producers and consumers and promotes better diets. Efforts focus on anticipating future needs, improving data and forecasting, and strengthening livelihoods.
WFP is committed to supporting women’s well-being and economic empowerment, and engaging youth in economic opportunities within food value chains. Concerned about the coexistence of overweight and undernutrition in Zimbabwe, WFP promotes better diets and the consumption of nutritious foods. We deploy digital technology to improve food security and systematically connect national strategies with local action.
WFP collaborates with the Government of Zimbabwe to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 on ending hunger and SDG 17 on global partnerships, strengthening alliances with government, NGOs, academia, donors, the private sector, UN agencies and communities.
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