Highlights
· WFP’s El Niño Response continues to require US$173.2 million through March 2017, following an additional US$10 million received from USAID.
· Small grains production project in Mwenezi district helps smallholders withstand impact of drought.
· Productive Asset Creation programme has commenced in May.
· Preliminary results from ongoing ZimVAC assessment reflect food insecurity above initial 30 percent of rural population.
Situation Update
All districts in Masvingo province and southern parts of Midlands are likely to have harvested at most three months supply of cereal. Overall, 2016 maize production is likely to be 30-40 percent less than 2015 production, which totalled at 742,000 mt, out of an annual requirement of 1.8 million mt.
At national level, according to WFP vulnerability analysis and mapping, it is estimated that 1.5 million people are in need of immediate food assistance through June.
The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC)’s 2016 Comprehensive Livelihoods, Food Security, and Nutrition Vulnerability Assessment is currently underway, with results expected the week of 13 June to inform humanitarian assistance planning figures from July onwards. Besides providing comprehensive rural livelihood and food security data, the assessment for the first time will integrate nutrition and gender dimensions.
Based on preliminary results, the ZimVAC has indicated that the prevalence of rural food insecurity will be higher than the 30 percent revealed by the January 2016 Rapid Assessment. The global acute malnutrition (GAM) prevalence is likely to increase beyond the 5.7 percent indicated in January.
The economic situation is likely to exacerbate food insecurity, as the country faces decreased investment, high unemployment, limited income opportunities outside of agriculture, and reduced aggregate domestic demand causing deflation.