Millions face food crisis in SADC

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Locusts exposing millions of southern African citizens to food insecurity

from ODIRILE TOTENG in Gaborone, Botswana
GABORONE, (CAJ News) THE International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) requires CHF7,4 million (US$8 million) to assist millions of people facing food insecurity because of climate related crisis across four Southern African countries.

These are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia.

Since February 2020, Africa Migratory Locust (AML) outbreaks damaged crops and livestock grazing compounding the effect of the drought on the food security of approximately 2,3 million people in these areas.

Despite intervention and response activities, the outbreaks persisted throughout 2020 into 2021 and projected to last until post-harvest period due to favourable breeding environment.

IFRC had already ongoing food security related emergency operations in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, hence this multi–country Emergency Appeal was designed to cover Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia.

The Red Cross added COVID-19 containment measures exacerbated the food insecurity situation by causing loss of livelihoods and employment opportunities as a result of lockdowns and other movement restrictions, and by consequence also the loss of remittance incomes, as well as the closure of school meal programmes.

Lockdowns and restrictions prevented rural workers from attending to their jobs, leading to loss of employment opportunities on one hand, and the loss of essential work force in the fields on the other, risking late or failed harvesting and selling of produce.

“These factors have further increased the risk of malnutrition in the region, as food diversity has been constrained, inaccessible and unaffordable to the most vulnerable households, pushing them to adopt negative eating practices to adapt, including reducing frequency, quantity and quality of foods.”

In the last quarter of 2019, Southern African Regional Interagency Standing Committee Africa reported that more than 11 million people were experiencing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity several countries due to deepening drought and climate related crisis.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) urged for urgent humanitarian action.

– CAJ News

 

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