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Community
Assessment of Food Security and the Social Situation in Zimbabwe
- March 2004 - Summary
Civic Monitoring
Programme integrating the FOSENET Food Security Monitoring
April 30, 2004
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Civic organizations have through the monitoring Group of the National
NGO Food Security Network (FOSENET) been monitoring food security
in Zimbabwe since July 2002. In 2004 this monitoring has been widened
to cover other social and economic conditions, recognizing the wide
range of conditions influencing social and economic wellbeing. The
Civic Monitoring Programme is implemented through NGOs based within
districts and community based monitors. Monthly reports from all
areas of the country are compiled to provide a monthly situation
assessment of food security and social welfare to enhance an ethical,
effective and community focussed response to the current situation.
The March 2004
report is drawn from 150 monitoring reports from 58 districts from
all provinces of Zimbabwe, with an average of 2.6 reports per district.
There has been
an improvement in food availability in March. While the share of
districts reporting poor food security remains relatively constant,
the number of districts reporting an improvement in the food supply
situation has nearly doubled since February, attributed to relief
and harvested crops. Poorest food security continues to be reported
from Masvingo, Matebeleland North and Matebeleland South provinces.
An increasing
proportion of community reports note households are relying on own
produce as their main source of food as harvest yields begin to
come in. Despite this 84% of households are reported to have food
stocks of a month or less. Vulnerable groups continue to be the
unemployed, the aged, orphans, AIDS and TB patients and former farm
workers, for the latter particularly in Mashonaland Central.
Fertiliser and
seed availability has remained constant since February with nearly
half the districts reporting maize seed and fertilizer available.
Prices reported in March show a marked downward trend in fertilizer
prices but a continued increase in maize seed prices in both formal
and parallel markets. The increased maize seed price has been attributed
in other reports by the UN to have resulted in a reduced area planted
with maize and a substantial shift to sorghum planting to compensate
for the unavailability of maize seed.
GMB deliveries,
after showing an improvement in supplies in February, plateaued
in terms of coverage in March and showed a decline in reported frequency
and delivery volume. Prices of GMB maize are reported to be unaffordable
for the unemployed and the vulnerable groups not covered by relief
programmes. These prices are buffered by the availability of grain
from harvests at present but are likely to become a more critical
constraint when grain from harvests is not available, particularly
for those households who were not able to earn a surplus from harvests.
The price of
maize meal also appears to have remained stable during the period
February to March 2004, with median prices of $20000 per 10kg in
the formal market and $25000 per 10kg on the parallel market reported.
In more than a quarter of monitoring reports, a half or more of
households in the wards were reported to be unable to afford maize
meal prices.
Those who can
not afford maize meal prices are reported to be working for others
for food , engaging in petty trading, waiting for food relief and
selling assets to raise money to buy maize meal.
The government
cash for work programme was reported to have fallen slightly in
districts covered, and that people felt the payments of $5000 as
too little to assist with food security. UN and NGO relief programmes
continue to be widespread but largely limited to feeding of school
children and targeted vulnerable groups. Reports were made of people
going to other areas to access relief food , particularly from urban
to rural areas or from resettlement areas to former homes in communal
wards.
Reported inward
and outward population migration has fallen from 50% of districts
reporting this in February to 33% in March. Reasons for movement
include former farm workers looking for pieces of land in communal
areas to build homes, movement for gold panning and movement out
of urban areas because of high cost of living. Reports were also
made of people moving into districts with better harvests seeking
to work for food.
A wide range
of coping strategies thus continue to be used to secure food:
- Working for
food in other peoples fields/farms
- Reducing
the number of meals
- Households
collectively contributing to buy a bag of maize meal
- Sale of household
goods/livestock to raise money for food
- Engaging
in gold panning
While asset
sales are similar to those reported in previous months some household
assets are now being confiscated by moneylenders after failure by
households to repay loans taken last year to buy food.
Reports indicate
improved drug availability, but also report increased cost barriers
to use of health services. School drop outs are also reported to
occur primarily due to failure to pay fees, with children most affected
reported to be children of unemployed parents and orphans.
The main form
of community support for social needs and caring is reported to
be the family, and wider networks of support are poorly resourced
or scattered. Many poor households are reported to be poorly informed
on social funds for education assistance. These issues appear to
be discussed at community level, with a significant increase reported
in meetings with MPs and councilors. These meetings reportedly covered
food , health and the 2005 elections. During March 72% of districts
reported this compared to 15% in January.
CMP welcomes
feedback on these reports. Follow up queries and feedback to fsmt2@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.
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