The United Nations has expressed solidarity with the people of Zambia following a sharp rise in food insecurity in the country due to drought during the 2018/2019 farming season.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis, undertaken by the Government of Zambia, about 18 percent of the rural population in the country translating into 1.72 million people is already in Phase 3 and Phase 4 levels of food insecurity between May and September 2019.
United Nations Resident Coordinator for Zambia, Dr. Coumba Mar Gadio says the figure is expected to grow during the lean season October 2019 to March 2020 to 2.3 million people in the country.
Dr Gadio said prolonged dry spells affected Southern and Western provinces, as well as parts of Lusaka, Eastern and Central provinces between January and March 2019, while flash floods, water logging and leaching have affected the northern and some part of Eastern province.
He said in the most-affected districts, this is the second consecutive season where prolonged dry spells are affecting households that already had limited cereal stocks before these latest shocks.
Dr Gadio said most of these households rely entirely on crop production for food and income and the combination of dry spells and flooding has also increased the risk of malnutrition, communicable diseases and protection concerns for the most vulnerable.
He said the prevalence rate of stunting is 35 percent in Zambia, and nearly 12 percent of children under age 5 are underweight.
“The United Nations stands with the people of Zambia in these difficult times,” said Dr. Gadio adding that the UN is committed to working closely with the Government and Cooperating Partners to support the delivery of assistance to people in urgent need as the lean season approaches.”
Its sad that foreigners have tangible and accurate data regarding the hunger situation in the country yet our own minister are blank and cant explain to parliament the hunger situation in the country.
HH has infiltrated the UN as well.
When you want to ascend to the pinnacle of power through stolen money and deceit and not skill and likability, it is disingenuous of you to be a leader.
Double h has unofficially declared hunger emergency for Zambia in his own capacity as opposition party lead element.
Government officially maintains we have enough food.
Meanwhile Government acknowledges that the impact of drought on National Food Security is real.
As drought ravages Southern Africa, hurricanes haunts the Costa rica, Bahamas and Bermuda, the heat wave scotches former BHC to Zambia Fergus Cochrane Dyet regions in Europe and flood sweeps across Asia, Donald Trump claims climate change is a “hoax” invented by China and Zambia wants to remain dependent on donor aid. The UN’s position is welcome but most importantly we need the Expertise and Technology to navigate though this.
CSO is the picture presented by the UN correct?
A hungry man is an angry “beast”.
Government gotta roll its sleeves, grow winter maize, it’s embarrassing begging for donations.
Government was timely warned not to export maize. I hope they heeded.
CSO, I am waiting. It’s been ages since I heard from researchers at CSO. CSO is official mind you.
“…According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis, undertaken by the Government of Zambia, about 18 percent…”
Which article are reading bwana of few words? Care to seek information from the relevant GRZ organs. Foreigners will extract data from locals. Competency of particular ministers is a topic for another day!
The situation of hunger is real. I don’t understand why people should fear or even fill ashamed to declare it. Even where it is available in the shops the majority of people can’t afford.
Don’t blame that boy HH, our government should have been effective with data about hunger situation instead of issuing blanket statements by Tuntwa that the shops are full with mealie meal and people are able to eat ice cream or this or that. That is what happens when you are surrounded by ba Kandye ministers whose pre occupation is to find ways of hiding the 48 houses.
Are you insinuating that Katambo, Government and the entire POTROZ are lying?
You can’t have food at home and still want to beg from your neighbors and family members.
Q1.
Is it true that Zambia has enough maize to last next harvest cycle?
Q2.
If Government is lying, what are they hoping to achieve?
Q3.
Is it not true that Government is acting (walking the talk) in the spirit of delivering relief food?
Q4. Are we in any way trynna suggesting that Government should start a country wide free food distribution?
Q5. Is it not only some parts of the Country hit by the hunger situation?
Appears the country is in a catch-22. If we keep what we have it will be enough to go round but we will go broke because we must service nkongole. If we export and earn something to break even in paying nkongole our people starve even worse. It is not a pretty place to be in. I cringe at historical decisions taken. By historical it started circa 2011…
God in his infinite wisdom denied the areas where our catchment areas are for hydropower with water but gave the areas with a lot of water where we do not generate electricity which resulted in crops being destroyed. God indeed works in mysterious ways!
there’s enough maize in Zambia. it’s poor planning and the people in charge who’re fu cking clueless or they simply don’t give a rat’s ass.
they like talking but not walking the talk. they should have predicted which arears would be most affected when they started getting reports, and starting real mitigating plans to redistribute food. but these guys are all about politics, their focus is by elections and such
Lungu’s GRZ with your lack of vision ,foresight and poor planning this is all on you.The UN shouldn’t show solidarity with laziness.
Do we have a single soul in government who really wants to serve the people?
Is there one single soul who genuinely feels embarrassed when after a bunch of promises fails to deliver?
Is there a single soul being used by God in our government leaders or all are under Satan?
Is it a spiritual or mental problem many in government leadership are lacking?
Is it due to self declared inferiority complex & poverty of the brain that we think we should pocket everything when presented with a chance to be in top government leadership?
Is it our in pride to confirm to other races/nations that we are too stubborn, selfish, greedy, dishonest, dirty minded and directionless?
………….Iam thinking & waiting for someone with answers!
Me and my white wife are chilling tonight. We are hitting the town later with our friends. We have not been clubbing since our uni days which is many many years ago. We thought to get back to our youth we are drinking champagne and some other exotic drinks. I will comment about this article tomorrow. Life is goodv
Lungu tells us there is enough food, foringners say there is impending hunger ???
We shall see and hope for the best….
Is the UN breaking the law like the assumption made against HH ? Only my dippy dog Sharon thinks that helping the needy in a so called christian country is the wrong thing to do!! As the good saying goes, ” beggars are not choosers”, we should be grateful when someone kind offers us help. I wonder if PF will decline these donations from a foreign donner ? Oh no !! it’s because it’s coming from a foreign land and it’s ok !! Such inferior thinking!!
Thank you UN for coming to our rescue! FAO unfortunately issued a misleading statement to please PF! We have savages presiding over the affairs of our land who are not moved by human suffering! They want people to die first before they can admit the Food Insecurity they have created through mismanagement of the FISP support to farmers! They are more happy buying Coffins and supporting funeral expenses than preventing deaths! The Northern half of the country received normal rain but Fertilizer only got there when the crop was beyond redemption! Let’s now see how they can demonize HH for saying the same thing the UN has said! With 50 plus districts declared as Food insecure, that is almost half the country without food and someone think it’s not a disaster except people start dying first?…
The PF are waiting for that moment when the situation gets worse that is when they will begin to look for answers. Like what has happened in the issue of importing electricity, and what happened with debt accumulation. Should people have to die first before you realize that the hunger situation is real like i read someone say in th ND newspaper saying no one has died yet. A real leader will plan well ahead before time but this leadership we have simply wait until the problem becomes unbearable and yet still fail to do anything about the problem.
Relief food is reaching the needy, don’t you see the pictures daily of donations of mealie meal by HH in Bauleni, HE Edgar in Simoonga, and donations by cooperating partners? DFID is also preparing to donate. With all these efforts how can anyone die of hunger? Also UPND should know that in times like this, affected people should use food sparingly to survive until next season, eat 3 lumps of nshima instead of the usual 4 or 5. The villagers know what I am talking but the town UPND politicians think it is business as usual and people must eat until their tummies bulge. We do the same in our houses in Kanyama, Bauleni, Chelston or even Ibex Hill when times are hard. It’s called austerity and it’s very normal among all human beings in the world.
By the way, shouldn’t HH be donating…
…..
By the way, shouldn’t HH be donating mealie meal in Bweenga where it is needed most? Or he is obviously concerned that there are not enough cameras to cover him in Bweenga? He is reducing the hunger situation to a political joke this under five and with it his share of votes in 2021 especially in southern where his strongholds of 2016 feel that he has abandoned them in their times of crisis.