Back to Index

WFP Emergency Report No. 23 of 2004
World Food Programme (WFP)
Extracted from Report 23 of 2004
June 4, 2004

View this document on ReliefWeb

Southern Africa

Regional
(a) In southern Africa, joint FAO and WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Missions (CFSAM) have been completed in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Swaziland. Delayed, inadequate and erratic rains characterized the first half of the 2003/04 growing season, according to the FAO Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture publication "Foodcrops and Shortages Report", released on 31 May. "As of May 2004, the number of countries facing serious food shortages throughout the world stands at 35 with 24 in Africa" Seven of the 24 African countries are in southern Africa : Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zambia. The report blames civil conflict, adverse weather, particularly drought for much of the food shortages, but adds: "In many of these countries, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a major contributing factor." While the crop prospects improved with more favorable rainfall in the second half of the season, the report noted that the rain was so intense in parts of Zambia and Angola that many rivers overflowed causing serious flooding in western Zambia and in downstream parts of Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe
(a) Workers displaced from two of the country's largest estates in the eastern parts of the country are becoming increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity. WFP and cooperating NGO field reports reveal that the displaced families have started to sell assets such as household goods and livestock. The government recently took over the two farms, which employed more than 5,000 workers. War veterans have made threats about 'foreigners' traveling to the area and have warned NGO staff to keep away from the area.

(b) Report writing and analysis of the Zimbabwe VAC findings is being finalized. The first draft is expected for next week.

(c) WFP in collaboration with partner NGO, AFRICARE has completed the first distribution cycle of the "Nutrition on Wheels" Home Based Care Programme in Mutasa district of Manicaland Province. Under the initiative, volunteers use bicycles to deliver food rations to HIV/AIDS affected households. More than 9,000 beneficiaries are receiving food under the intervention.

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