FAO, Zimbabwe review food security situation in response to El Nino induced drought

Considering that 70 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture for food and income, urgent short and long-term interventions play a key role in averting severe food insecurity and damage to livelihoods.

In early 2023, global and regional climate and circulation models predicted the El Nino oceanographic phenomenon for the 2023-2024. Predictions pointed to a high probability of both below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperature. Southern Africa is already battling with the effects of the El Nino induced drought phenomenon and Zimbabwe has declared the 2023-2024 summer cropping season a national disaster following the El Nino-induced drought.

 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Zimbabwe through Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MLAFWRD) have embarked on a process to review the Zimbabwe food security situation and outlook to respond to the El Nino induced drought.

The MLAFWRD and FAO held an urgent high-level meeting in Harare Co-chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri and Dr. Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe. The objective was to collaboratively assess the current drought situation while exploring how FAO programmes can build resilience for the country and plan for interventions in consultation and with the support from the Agriculture Ministry.

Considering that 70 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture for food and income, urgent short and long-term interventions play a key role in averting severe food insecurity and damage to livelihoods.

“These engagements are important to strengthen collaboration between FAO and the Government of Zimbabwe in responding to the effects of the El Nino induced drought. We agreed on key action plans to respond and address the short and long-term effects of the El Nino,” said Professor Jiri affirming and upholding the collaborative partnership between the two entities.  

During the high-level meeting, both FAO and the MLAFWRD presented and reflected on the current status of the food security situation and outlook with the objective to identify synergies and areas of collaboration to assess and mitigate the risk of agricultural livelihoods degradation due to El Nino. Leveraging on FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022 – 2031 and its work in emergencies, the meeting came at an opportune time when FAO has already embarked on a regional assessment of the impacts of El Nino in Southern Africa and Zimbabwe’s assessment will be finalized in May 2024.

With the 2022 – 2026 Country Programming Framework (CPF) approaching its mid-term, FAO presented the current milestones in implementation of the CPF while also highlighting the challenges encountered including the funding gaps and resource mobilization efforts.

During the meeting, FAO also presented its work on global corporate and flagship initiatives including Hand in Hand Initiative (HiHi), Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) and the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP). HiHi is one of the initiatives which Zimbabwe can take advantage of in responding to El Nino. For the past two years, the HiHi in Zimbabwe has set precedence in terms of public, private and development financing for investment facilitation at national, regional and international fora. The OCOP is a country-led and country-driven initiative that focuses on Special Agricultural Products (SAPs) with Zimbabwe already focusing on the traditional soyabean value chain. The DVI seeks to transform rural economies for the better through digitalization.

“Today, we had the opportunity to elaborate more on FAO work to systematically plan and receive guidance from the Government of Zimbabwe through the Agriculture Ministry on how to harmonize and optimize delivery and impact in responding to the effects of El Nino,” said Dr. Patrice Talla underlining the critical importance of consultative and multisectoral involvement of key stakeholders in this process. 

The meeting agreed on intensifying promotion of crop diversification with the Government emphasizing that its now implementing policy decisions anchored on use and adoption of traditional grains which are resistant to many crop diseases and pests and can survive adverse climatic conditions such as this El Nino. FAO committed to support the Government in scaling up and linking irrigation and mechanization for small scale farmers with a strategic thrust on private sector inclusion.

The MLAFWRD and FAO agreed on an action plan for short and long-term interventions to address the challenges being encountered in the agriculture sector including through open data, early warning and anticipatory actions as well as traditional response action. The action plan will be spearheaded by a team of technical experts from FAO and the MLAFWRD.

(With Inputs from APO)