Source: Oleoscope (Russia)
The worst drought in 100 years has hit southern Africa, pushing 27 million people in the region to the brink of survival. Lola Castro, Acting Regional Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP) for Southern Africa, said.
“Southern Africa is being hit by the worst drought in 100 years, which has destroyed much of the region’s crops, especially cereals,” she was quoted as saying by local radio station EWN. – In many areas, farmers have not harvested anything and the next harvest is not expected until April 2025.
Five states in the southern part of the continent – Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Zambia and Zimbabwe – have declared a national state of disaster in 2024 due to the drought. In Angola and Mozambique, the situation in the agricultural sector is difficult.
According to Castro, the drought has destroyed 70 percent of the harvest in Zambia and 80 percent in Zimbabwe. “This has already led to an increase in food prices in the region,” she said. – The situation is extremely worrying”. WFP experts estimate that 6 million people in the countries of southern Africa need emergency food aid. This will require 409 million dollars, half of which has been raised so far, Castro said.
The World Food Programme is an organization within the United Nations. It was founded in 1961 and distributes around 4 million tons of food annually to people in need in many countries around the world. The WFP is headquartered in Rome.