Scottish Catholic agency, SCIAF, says the drought-induced food crisis in Zambia is ‘different from before’
Vatican News.
In an article for Crux Now, journalist Charles Collins spoke to Aisling Gallacher, a SCIAF aid worker, who told him there is panic in the air in Zambia as the southern African country experiences its worst food crisis in decades. After a recent visit to Zambia, Gallacher said the latest Zambian food crisis is ‘different from before.’
Driest agricultural season in 40 years
According to the Crux Now article, Zambia has been hit by frequent and deadly droughts, floods and heat waves, which the United Nations says has caused its driest agricultural season in more than 40 years, with crops being wiped out and livestock killed.
Gallacher said she has regularly travelled to Zambia with SCIAF over the past five years, but “nothing prepared me for my most recent trip.”
“On the drive to Mongu [the capital of Western Province in Zambia] – normally a spectacular journey through lush, green landscapes during the rainy season – I saw field after field of dried maize [corn]. Crisp, yellow, dead,” she said.
Gallacher said no rain was on the horizon, and climate shocks have made farming in Zambia extremely difficult.
Residents in affected areas told SCIAF, “During the last rainy season, there were only ten days of rain here. It should have rained every day from November until the end of February.”
6.6 million need humanitarian assistance
Faced with drought and failed crops that have left over 6.6 million people, including 3.5 million children, in urgent need of humanitarian aid, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema declared the country’s situation a national disaster and emergency on 29 February.
“Today, with a heavy heart, we address you as our beloved country faces a severe drought, the worst of its kind,” Hichilema told Zambians in a nationally televised address.
Zambian Bishops appeal for solidarity
Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) President and Archbishop of Kasama Archdiocese, Ignatius Chama, told Vatican News in March that the Church in Zambia was appealing to local and international partners for solidarity and was working through Caritas Zambia to support the Government’s efforts.
Archbishop Chama said at the time, “Our country, Zambia, is headed for a real disaster and a food security crisis that needs the support of the international community and all of us within the country.“
UN agencies warn of crisis
Crux Now quotes Beatrice Mutali, the UN Resident Coordinator in Zambia, speaking on 28 June.
“This drought requires concerted efforts. Far too many families in key affected districts are struggling to put food on their tables. There is evidence indicating that a nutrition crisis is likely to unfold in provinces where hunger and nutrient gaps are high if timely concrete prevention actions are not taken now,” she said.
On Monday, 4 March, UNICEF in Zambia expressed concern, especially for the fate of children, who it said are already at risk of increased vulnerability.
A SMART [Standardised Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions] survey conducted in May said more than half of the households in Zambia were already experiencing moderate to severe hunger. It estimated that within the next 12 months, 51,948 children under the age of five in the 84 drought-affected districts would fall into severe wasting, and another 276,000 children under five would experience moderate wasting.
The SMART survey also found that nearly 112,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women were estimated to suffer from wasting, with about 13,000 facing its most severe form.
Some of Zambia’s neighbouring countries are also similarly affected by the drought.
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