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Assessment
of the food situation in Zimbabwe - August 2008
National NGO
Food Security Network (FOSENET)
August 2008
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Summary
- Community
reports indicate no improvement in rural and urban food security
in August 2008
- In urban
and rural areas the situation is reported to have worsened, with
increased food needs and reduced supplies due to the ban on NGO
operations
- The parallel
market has been the only source of scarce commodities available
in both foreign currency or local currency
- Some families
have resorted to eating roots and wild fruits as coping strategies
- Difficulties
accessing cash and food have worsened the situation for all households
Household
vulnerability
In determining household vulnerability, FOSENET uses the Household
Vulnerability Index. According to the HVI there are 3 levels of
household vulnerability:
- Coping level:
these are households in a vulnerable situation but able to cope
and about 70% of these households are headed by male adults and
30% adult female-headed households
- Acute level
households: these have been hit so hard that they badly need assistance.
With some rapid response type of assistance, the family may be
resuscitated. These households are female headed, childe headed
and elderly headed
- Emergency
level households: this is the equivalent of an intensive care
situation: could be resuscitated only with the best possible expertise
Food
needs
Vulnerability to food insecurity is increasing across all divides
with the most critical being child headed households, widows and
the infected and affected and Internally displaced people. Reports
from all 8 provinces indicate Zaka, Chivi,Gwanda, Beitbridge, Matobo,
Binga, Buhera, Gokwe and Mberengwa as having acute level households
Food
availability
Parallel markets for basic commodities such as bread maize, mealie
meal, cooking oil sugar and flour are available and products are
sold in South African Rands, US Dollars or the equivalent in local
currency cash. Cash shortages also posed serious problems for people
buying food.
As a result of price increases, income-generating activities are
diminishing. According to assessment findings, casual labour has
declined in about 80% of the villages and 90% report a decrease
in the flow of remittances from urban to rural areas
As a result also, rural households in Zimbabwe have resorted to
eating wild foods such as vegetables and fruits and wild tubers.
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