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Community Assessment of the Food Situation in Zimbabwe - October 2002: SUMMARY
National NGO Food Security Network (FOSENET)
November 21, 2002

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Reports from 152 field monitors from 52 districts of Zimbabwe for October 2002 indicate that:

• Food security has fallen markedly in the country
  Household stocks have fallen to zero or less than one month in all districts except one. Food supply from GMB and formal commercial sources is reported to have fallen, after a brief reported increase in some areas during local council elections.
• Vulnerability has widened
  Nearly half of the districts report that ‘everyone’ is now in need, (up from 0% in September). This increase is mainly due to the fall in supply. Reports of displaced people is higher, more in Matabeleland South, Masvingo, Mashonaland East and Manicaland.
• Children are taking on a significant burden of food insecurity in the country through dropout, absenteeism from and inability to concentrate in school, and through activities to source food. Despite this, only a third of relief activities currently include school children.
• GMB deliveries are reported to have fallen or to not have been made at all in half of the district sites in October. Matabeleland North and South and Manicaland have now had low reported deliveries for three months. While the bottom level price of GMB sales was constant at the control price, the reported upper ranges of GMB sales were 120% above the control price.
• Procedural barriers, political bias and reduced supplies were the most commonly reported obstacles to accessing GMB grain. These have increased compared to July, when cost was the major barrier reported.
• Commercial maize meal supplies are also reported to have fallen. Supplies to formal shops were noted be scarce with long queues, backdoor sales and non transparent procedures for access. Urban frustration at not being able to buy food was more commonly reported.
• Informal market supplies are present but significantly inflated at reported upper price ranges of $2000/ 10kg maize meal, nearly twenty times the controlled price and 67% above reported September prices. Reported leakages of controlled price foods to informal markets potentially yield profit margins of up to Z$1 800/ 10kg – super profits for those who access them.
  People are reported to be surviving on wild fruits and roots, cutting maize meal from their diet, cutting meals and on relief. Maize and groundnuts were commonly raised seed needed now for production for the short rains anticipated.
• Relief supplies are reported to have increased
  Matabeleland North and Mashonaland East appear to be underserved given the very low food deliveries in the former and the higher reported level of displaced people in the latter.
• There was an increase in reported political interference in relief, together with continuing problems of access in the elderly, sick or disabled. Improved standardisation of payments in the cash for work programme was reported, but with continuing concern reported over the latitude given to councillors in deciding beneficiaries and operation of the programme.

This indicates strong and worrying trends that need attention:

• Food security has fallen markedly as household stocks have collapsed, and supply from GMB and formal commercial sources fallen.
• Vulnerability has widened with the fall in supply. Some provinces (Matabeleland and Manicaland) have had sustained low reported supplies for three months.
• The collapse in supply has produced huge reported burdens for the poorest, but super-profits for some. Children are taking on a significant burden through loss of schooling and activities to source food, with inadequate measures to protect them. Elderly, disabled and ill people continue to be reported to have less access to all sources of food, including relief. Poor communities are forced to spend more time, transport costs, and sell assets to source wild or market foods. At the same time reported super-profits of Z$1800/10kg maize can be made through informal sales of leakages from or inequitable access to control price foods.
• With supply scarcities, urban people with money have not been able to buy maize meal, and informal market price increases have escalated rapidly as other sources fall.
• The reported increase in relief does not seem to be of a scale to match this widening of vulnerability.
• There has been an increase in reported political interference in access to GMB and relief supplies in the month.

FOSENET welcomes feedback on these reports.
Follow up queries and feedback to: FOSENET, Box CY2720, Causeway, Harare - fosenet@mweb.co.zw

Visit the FOSENET fact sheet

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