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Southern Africa: Food Insecurity Emergency Appeal no. 05EA023 Operations Update No. 5
International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
February 17, 2006

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-6M4LE8?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=zwe

Operational Summary
The peak of the hunger season took hold in Southern Africa at the beginning of 2006, with over12 million people in urgent need of food support. Despite the desperate food shortages, the Federation's emergency appeal remained dramatically under-funded, with many national society plans to help the most vulnerable at their time of need being dashed.

Against this difficult funding climate, excellent progress was made by the Red Cross and Red Crescent actors in the region over the first six weeks of 2006. The Malawi Red Cross Society's first double food distribution for 17,000 households (over 100,000 people)-f unded by the appeal-w as successfully completed and distributions of the much needed agricultural seed starter packs took place in four of the affected countries (Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho), bringing a glimmer of hope to over 28,000 households. Distributions in Mozambique, Lesotho and Zambia will also be forthcoming in February/March.

In January 2006, the Federation held a two-day food security workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa, which brought together 50 key national society staff from the region and several partner national societies (PNS) to ensure coordination was achieved, to discuss implementation progress and to prioritize on the way forward. Almost all delegate posts at the regional delegation/national societies were secured. This, combined with deployment of national society food security officers and the mobilization of countless volunteers, increased the operational capacity and momentum of this crucial programme.

Background
Food security across the region is deteriorating and an estimated 12 million people face acute food shortages if relief efforts are not rapidly scaled up. As highlighted in the appeal for this operation, the current food insecurity is not only a result of the erratic rainfall patterns in 2004/5, but also the chronic burden of HIV/AIDS and weakened government capacities. This 'triple threat' is destroying already weakened and vulnerable families, with even the most basic coping mechanisms now being eroded.

The period from December through to March/April in Southern Africa is always a challenge for poorer households, as food stocks from the previous season's harvest have been consumed and the next season's crops are not reaped, creating a gap in food availability at the household level. Food prices always increase at the market. Whilst an annually occurring food shortage among poorer households is to be expected, reports are emerging that this year's period- prior to the harvest- is one of the worst in recent decades. Insufficient commercial grain imports and slow national and international response efforts have resulted in a massive increase in the price of basic food items, multiplying the number of houses unable to afford food in the marketplace.

The situation has become so acute in some pockets of Malawi and Zimbabwe, that cereals are totally unavailable with the cereal gap in Zimbabwe noted as 1.2 metric tonnes (MT) of maize alone. According to Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET), the government of Zimbabwe imported more than 762,000 MT of maize last year but chronic fuel shortages continue to constrain maize distribution from government depots. In Malawi, th e preliminary results of the National Nutrition Survey conducted in December 2005 revealed worrying increases in the malnutrition levels, with districts in the central and southern regions being the most affected- with global malnutrition rates exceeding 10% in three districts.

The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 5 million people need food aid, 2.8 million of whom are children. Mozambique and Zambia and also facing critical food access problems, whilst localized shortages are being experienced in Lesotho and Swaziland.

People are trying to look forward to the next harvest in April/May, with yields partially dependent on weather patterns. Following delays in the start of the rainy season in some parts of the region, normal to above normal rains that started in December 2005 stimulated cautious optimism. Even with ideal weather patterns though, the most vulnerable households in the region had little or no access to the necessary agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and draught power. Additionally, areas of the Zambezi River Basin have been flooded, affecting parts of Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, with Malawi and central Mozambique suffering the worst floods, which caused loss of life, displacement and destroyed thousands of hectares of cropland. Furthermore, army worm invasions have been reported in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe with Malawi's Minister of Agriculture reporting that some 27,500 hectares have been affected and 2,600 hectares of maize destroyed.

Operational developments

Zimbabwe
The crop gap in Zimbabwe is estimated at 1.2 million MT of maize. This is attributed to a poor growing season last year with the drought, shortages of key farm inputs such as seeds, fertilizer and draught power, resulting in poor yields. Input shortages are widespread again in the current planting season.

Pesticides to control the army worm situation are reportedly in short supply. The weather patterns from mid-December onwards have been favourable but due to shortages of inputs, it is unlikely that Zimbabwe will have a very successful harvest in 2006. A survey conducted by WFP showed that communities were experiencing difficulties in accessing maize through local markets because of unavailability. In January 2006, WFP provided food to 4.4 million people in 37 districts while at the same time reaching 900,000 children in 16 districts through school feeding and home based care activities. WFP is also distributing food to 48,000 people affected by the "operation restore order". New cases of cholera continue to be reported in and around Harare, with the problem worsened by the unavailability of water in city.

Discussions are taking place within the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society regarding an appropriate response.

According to FEWS NET, maize prices continued to escalate as the peak of the lean season took hold, with household and market suppliers dwindling and demand increasing. During the period 29 December 2005 to 4 February 2006, Bulawayo experienced a 117% increase in the price of maize. In some areas where maize had previously been available, new suppliers increased prices by 900% in comparison to those of mid-July 2005.

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