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Food
Security
Media
Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Extracted from Weekly Media Update 2005-2
Monday January 10th – Sunday January 16th
2005
ZIMBABWE’S food
security position remained as hazy as ever with the government media
downplaying the matter in 20 (83%) of the 24 stories it carried
on the issue.
These stories
were mainly public relations reports on the progress of the agricultural
season and government’s commitment to helping farmers overcome the
"challenges" they were facing, especially
the shortage of fertilizer. In the process, the problems facing
the agricultural sector were not adequately addressed or related
to the country’s diminishing capability to feed itself.
This was exemplified
by the way in which ZBH, for example, devoted only four stories
(17%) to highlighting farmers’ concerns over the recent dry spell
and shortages of equipment, labour, fuel and inputs, among other
problems. Even then, these stories failed to fully assess and quantify
the potential damage the problems were likely to have on food production
in the country.
The private
media, on the other hand, paid closer attention to the precarious
food situation in 15 stories they devoted to the issue, noting that
some crops had already started wilting because of inadequate rainfall.
They revealed that the situation was critical in Masvingo, Midlands
and Matabeleland.
Moreover, these
media, as exemplified by Studio 7 (12/1) and the Zimbabwe Independent
(14/1), publicized scientific findings by the Famine Early Warning
System Network (Fewsnet) warning that the country is in a state
of emergency as far as food availability is concerned. The report
indicated that the country had no more food in some of the rural
areas.
The government
media ignored the findings.
Visit the MMPZ
fact sheet
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