Disaster type: Drought
Affected countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Early warning signs provide alarming indications of looming significant food supply shortages that are likely to impact on the next marketing season starting from July 2015. The rains experienced in late March and early April provided some relief to livestock farmers, but arrived too late for both staple foods and cash crops. These adverse weather conditions are likely to reduce crop production in southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar and South Africa. The negative impact of flooding will also affect food security in Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique. OCHA Humanitarian Bulletin Southern Africa, Issue 18 | May 2015
Botswana has allocated emergency funds in response to the worst drought conditions in 30 years with agricultural land badly hit by the lack of irrigation, the government said Thursday. (AFP, 30 Jul 2015)
In Mozambique, Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity outcomes are found across the country. However, Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes will continue until December, in parts of the southern semiarid livelihood zone including several districts in Gaza and Inhambane provinces, and south of Sofala province. (FEWSNET, 31 Aug 2015)
South Africa: Sharp decrease for 2015 maize production: The aggregate (commercial and non-commercial) 2015 maize output is estimated at 10.5 million tonnes, 30 percent below the bumper production of the previous year due, largely, to an extended dry weather period during the first quarter of 2015. (GIEWS Country Brief: South Africa 03-September-2015)
On September 17 2015, the IFRC launched an Emergency Appeal seeking 768,264 Swiss francs to enable the IFRC to support the Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) to respond to the food security needs of a total of 10,000 drought and flood-affected beneficiaries for six months. (IFRC, 18 Sep 2015)
Malawi's President Peter Mutharika has appealed for international help to cope with an expected food shortage that could affect 17 percent of the country’s population during the coming months. “Total of 2,833,212 people will not be able to meet their annual food requirement. In view of this I would like to appeal to all the development partners, other countries, and non-governmental organizations both in Malawi and elsewhere to complement government sources in assisting the food-insecure households,” said Mutharika. (VoA, 22 Sep 2015)
Based on extrapolations of the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVac) results of 2015, approximately 1.5 million Zimbabweans (16% of rural households) are likely to be unable to meet their food needs during the 2015/2016 hunger season. (462,000) during the second quarter of the consumption year and (1,490,024) during the peak hunger season running from January-March, 2016, This represents a rise of 160% compared to those facing food insecurity during the 2014/2015 hunger season. (OCHA, UNRC, 30 Sep 2015)
Date: 09 Jun 2015
Status: Ongoing
