The worst drought in 35 years in southern Africa will imperil the food supply of 40 million people until next March, when crops planted in coming months are ripe for harvest, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. “Widespread crop failure has exacerbated chronic malnutrition in the region,” said FAO, which appealed for $109 million to equip farmers and grazers ahead of the growing season.
The El Niño weather pattern compounded the effects of the second year in a row of drought in the region, said FAO. The planting season arrives in October. Food insecurity will peak in early 2017 during the lean season, when food reserves run out and the new crop is not yet mature. The price of corn and other staple foods already has risen in rural areas because of poor crops.
At least 70 percent of people in the region rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, said FAO official David Phiri. “The high levels of unemployment and sluggish economies means that the main way people are able to access food is through what they themselves produce.” FAO appealed for funds to provide seed, fertilizer and livestock support to small farmers in 10 countries, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.