Attachments
Introduction
In the 2023/24 rainfall season, Zambia faced its most severe drought in decades, impacting 84 out of 116 districts. Driven by El Niño, the drought threatens national food security, water, and energy supplies. Food production, prices and market functionality have been affected.
To address this, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), with support from the UK Government, established a remote market monitoring system in June 2024, using trained call center operators to regularly assess food prices and market functionality in affected districts. The Annex includes a map of the monitored markets and the background and methodology.
This information is essential for designing, implementing, and monitoring emergency response and social assistance programs, including transfer modalities like cashbased transfers, in-kind food, and vouchers. Monitoring market functionality helps assess market resilience, availability, accessibility, and affordability of essential goods, which are crucial for household food security and economic well-being.
This bulletin covers the month of January 2025. Remote market monitoring covered 82 districts, 160 markets and 1,081 traders in January. When available, data from March and May 2024 is included in some charts.
Content includes the prices of four essential food commodities (mealie meal breakfast, beans, cooking oil, and salt), the cost of the basic food basket, and the Market Functionality Index (MFI) at national and provincial levels, together with risks and mitigation measures. The Annex has additional contextual information, including macroeconomic factors, the seasonal calendar, and rainfall performance.
WFP
• emmanuel.kilio@wfp.org
• siamunza.mwiinga@wfp.org
• patrick.kabanda@wfp.org
DMMU
• mayala.bwembya@dmmuovp.gov.zm
• Chikwanka.Maipambe@dmmuovp.gov.zm