The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
THE United Nations (UN) has pledged to mobilise global support and resources to augment Government’s efforts to feed thousands of food insecure people in Manicaland and the nation at large to cushion them from the devastating El Nino-induced drought which ravaged the 2023/24 agricultural season.
In an interview on the sidelines of a courtesy call to Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza last Friday, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator to Zimbabwe, Mr Edward Kallon, said there is urgent need for coordinated efforts to address the humanitarian situation in the country.
The motive behind Mr Kallon’s visit was to have a first-hand account of the impact of the El Nino-induced drought to enable the UN to mobilise resources to support and compliment Government’s efforts to feed the nation following the recent declaration of the state of national disaster by President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa earlier this month invoked Section 27 (1) of the Civil Protection Act to declare a state of national disaster.
The President said at least 2.7 million people are expected to be food insecure.
“The current agricultural season of 2023 to 2024 has not performed according to expectations due to the El Nino-induced drought. As a result, more than 80 percent of our country received below normal rainfall,” said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa said the country needs US$2 billion in aid to help millions of people who are food insecure after a severe dry spell wreaked havoc across southern Africa.
“President Mnangagwa has declared a national disaster and requested for US$2 billion so that the country is able to cover the deficit, and people at national level are working very hard to unpack what that amount will be used for.
“As the United Nations system, we are gearing up to see what we can do to support Government’s efforts and help in addressing the El Nino’s impact on food security in the country at large. We are working on a fast-tracked mission to see where we can try to compliment Government’s efforts in addressing this shortfall in food security,” he said.
Mr Kallon said the impact of the El Nino has been extremely severe in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa at large, ranking it as one of the worst droughts over the past 40 years in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Mr Kallon said food security is one of the key points that will help accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and hence the need to aid Zimbabwe to attain food security status.
“The food security side in the country is currently very worrisome. I was very touched by the deficit which the country has as a result of the El Nino-induced drought in the province, and I promise that we will try, and at least compliment Government’s efforts, to mobilise resources and come in to assist to save the province and nation from the devastating hunger,” he said.
Mr Kallon said it is also sad to note that water volumes in dams in the province and country have also gone below the average, making it difficult to power irrigation and generate electricity.
He said there is also need to deal with transitions and help affected communities to withstand the impact of the El Nino-induced drought.
“There is need for a resilience approach to help the affected population to cope with the impact, recover from it and also engage in transformative change going forward. It is not just addressing the relief part of it that we need, but we want to make sure that people are able to cope, recover and engage in change. This is very important and critical,” he said.
Minister Mugadza commended Mr Kallon and his delegation for the visit to Manicaland, and expressed optimism that support and resources will be mobilised to assist the food-insecure population in the province.
He said such support is welcome as all the seven districts in the province were affected by the El Nino-induced drought.
“Government has done a lot. It has done its part and there are reserves that could assist, but in matters of food security, we cannot take chances. Food has to be put on the table. It has to be availed in abundance, and we are grateful that the UN has come into the boat, and is willing to compliment Government’s efforts,” said Minister Mugadza.
The delegation toured parts of Mutare and Makoni districts where it met with farmers bemoaning the negative impact of the El Nino-induced drought.
Mrs Mavis Mudzingenyama of Ward Three in Mutare North said the phenomenon’s consequences were dire as it left them food insecure and needing food aid.
“As a person with disability, and also directly affected by this climate phenomenon, things have become really hard for my family. We did not harvest anything because of the low rains followed by a long dry period that destroyed our crops before they reached maturity. The El Nino-induced drought has been very hard on us,” she said.
Headman Chirikuutsi, under Chief Makoni, also expressed the same concerns and called for urgent food aid to avert starvation in his area.
