Attachments
Executive Summary
A climate and food security crisis is unfolding across Southern Africa as an El Niño-induced drought brings about crop failure and immediate need for humanitarian assistance which have been exacerbated by rising food prices, cholera outbreaks, and ongoing macroeconomic challenges.
The region’s just-concluded rainfall season was characterized by extensive dry spells over large parts of Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. For many of these areas it was the driest February on record, accompanied by a monthlong heat wave with temperatures 5 degrees above average, when moisture was most critical for plant development.
Below-average maize harvests are expected in 2024, with potential for extensive crop failures in parts of the region. Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have declared national drought disasters. Twenty-three out of Twenty-eight districts in Malawi have been affected by the El Niño conditions, and a preliminary assessment by the government estimated that up to 2 million farming households and 44 percent of the national cropping area have been affected. In Zambia, 1 million hectares of the 2.2 million hectares planted with maize have been affected. Namibia has instituted drought relief measures to mitigate the impact on agriculture.
The drought is hitting during a time of already alarming levels of food insecurity. In March, at the end of the last lean season, an estimated 18.6 million people were expected to be in Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of food insecurity in drought-affected Member States. Assessments of the impact of the El Niño are ongoing across Member States. This Regional Appeal for Humanitarian Assistance should allow for response planning over the short and medium term.