FIFTY-TWO rural districts in Zimbabwe face acute food shortages, and this has forced government to intervene.
Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa told a post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday that government has been distributing maize in affected districts.
“The food deficit mitigation strategy is being implemented in 52 rural districts, with 22 056 metric tonnes of grain having been distributed to 2 205 625 people in January 2023. During the month of February, 17 886 metric tonnes of grain were distributed to 1 788 640 people,” Mutsvangwa said.
According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Zimvac) report, 5,6 million out of 16,6 million people (33%) are facing food insecurity.
The factors driving food insecurity in Zimbabwe include the deteriorating economic situation and climate change-induced hunger.
According to the 2022 Global Food Crisis Report, one in every five Africans goes to bed hungry, and at least 140 million people on the continent face acute food insecurity.