Back to Index

Assessment of the Food Situation in Zimbabwe - Dec 2002-Jan 2003: SUMMARY
National NGO Food Security Network (FOSENET)
February 13, 2003

Download the full report
- Microsoft Word version - 151KB
- Acrobat PDF version - 272KB

If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking here.

The National NGO Food Security (FOSENET) involves 24 non government organisations that collectively cover ALL districts of Zimbabwe, and all types of communities. FOSENET members subscribe that food distribution in Zimbabwe must be based on a platform of ethical principles derived from international humanitarian law:

• The right to life with dignity and the duty not to withhold or frustrate the provision of life saving assistance;
• The obligation of states and other parties to agree to provide humanitarian and impartial assistance when the civilian population lacks essential supplies;
• Relief not to bring unintended advantage to one or more parties nor to further any partisan position;
• The management and distribution of food and other relief with based purely on criteria of need and not on partisan grounds;
• Respect for community culture and values of solidarity, dignity and peace

As one of its functions FOSENET is monitoring food needs, availability and access.

Information from 103 monitoring sites from 43 districts of Zimbabwe for December 2002 / January 2003 indicate that:

• Reduced food security across districts in all provinces in December 02/ January 03 is reported to come mainly from marked reductions in volumes of GMB deliveries and in commercial maize meal supplies.

• Absolute scarcity of food supplies has taken over from cost factors as the most common cause of vulnerability

• The share of districts reporting that ‘everyone’ was in need has risen monthly from 0% in September 2002 to the current level of around half of districts (47%). For the third month in a row household food stocks were reported at less than one month in all provinces.

• Scarcity has been associated with price escalation in both GMB and commercial market supplies. Reported upper prices of GMB grain of Z$200 / 10kg and above are 75% above the controlled price, and more districts have reported inflated GMB prices in this round. GMB price controls are reported to have been better maintained in Mashonaland Central and West and Matabeleland North provinces since August 2002.

• Informal and black market maize meal prices reported in December / January ranged from Z$1000 -Z$3000 / 10kg, highest in urban areas. This is a marked increase on prices reported in November 2002. Differences between reported GMB grain prices and informal market maize meal prices have widened from $490 /10 kg in July 02 to $2 800 / 10kg in January 03. This is likely to drive black market activity and leakages of control price grain unless these markets are controlled or unless formal commercial supplies are increased. Leakages from controlled price foods into black markets represent a flow of public funds to private profits at the cost of poor households’ access to food.

• In the absence of household stocks and other supplies, the demand for relief food has grown. New relief supplies were reported in six districts and a fall in supply in two districts. The state cash for work programme coverage appears to have remained constant. This round reports improvements in the inclusion of the elderly, child headed households and ill people in relief.

• Absolute scarcities are the primary overall obstacle to accessing food. Barriers are more frequently reported to GMB food, less for commercial market food and lowest in relief food. Political barriers are the most commonly reported bias in access to GMB and commercial food, increasing over previous months, while procedural barriers are reported in relief supplies.

• The decline in overall national food supplies reported in this round has produced burdens on vulnerable households, indicated through school dropout, increased costs to households of black market food costs, increased time sourcing food reported, and through increased reported dependency on relief.

• In nearly half of districts households are reported to be using ‘coping’ strategies that may have negative effects. These include consuming ‘famine’ foods that could be potentially toxic, leaving the area they live in, or not coping at all.

• In one district (Mutare Rural) people are reported to be moving away from their homes because of hunger. This would need to be followed up as it is the first time an outflow of this nature has been reported and could signal a transition from food insecurity to more extreme famine type responses.

The falling supply from GMB and commercial food sources, increased barriers to food access and increased dependency on relief observed in this round has raised the profile of equity and ethical issues. The trends reported draw attention to the need for stronger implementation and public reporting on measures to ensuring equitable use of available publicly funded (GMB) food supplies, including eliminating the barriers and unfair preferential access reported with increased frequency in this round, and improving availability of commercial supplies for those with purchasing power. Reports of political barriers to GMB and commercial food supplies at a time when households are very vulnerable due to absolute shortfalls contradicts ethical principles of rights to life with dignity and of non partisan access to food.

Relief supplies are reported to have increased, but relief dependency has also reportedly grown. Many households are reported to be using ‘coping’ strategies, including asset sales, school dropout, leaving home areas, and consumption of potentially toxic ‘famine foods’ that may have long term negative effects on households already impoverished by economic decline, unemployment, land hunger and HIV/AIDS.

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

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP