According to Reuters residents of Buhera, a village in Zimbabwe could be seen standing in groups waiting for their names to be called so they could receive life-saving handouts of grains, peas and cooking oil as heavy drought causes crops to wither affecting agricultural output.
Zimbabwe has struggled to feed itself since 2000 when former President Robert Mugabe disrupted agricultural production and output by seizing white-owned farms leaving many Zimbabweans dependent on food aid for survival.
The food crisis in Zimbabwe is also heavily caused by a special type of drought known as the El Nino drought which has hit many southern African nations.
The government estimate for the number of people heavily affected by the drought is over 2.7 million and the real number could even be higher, and is currently considering declaring a state of emergency in the nation.
Maize, Zimbabwe’s main staple harvest is expected to reduce by half to 1.1 million tonnes this year.
“When you drive around, you will see that many crops have wilted,” said World Food Programme (WFP) acting country director Christine Mendes in Buhera, about 220 km (140 miles) southeast of the capital, Harare.
The WFP has helped over 270,000 people in four drought-prone districts between January and March but will need additional funds to feed more according to the WFP country director Christine Mendes.
El Nino drought is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon associated with a disruption of wind patterns that means warmer ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific.
El Nino drought occurs on average every two to seven years, typically lasts nine to 12 months, and can provoke extreme weather such as tropical cyclones, prolonged drought, and subsequent wildfires.
In 2023, the African Development Bank developed financial instruments to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to white farmers whose land was taken from them by Zimbabwe’s government.