HIGHLIGHTS
Regional: The Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee (rVAC) recently reported a regional cereal deficit of three million metric tonnes (MT) for this season. Regional deficits have in previous years been largely covered by South Africa's surplus maize production, but this year's harvest was drastically reduced. Countries that cannot meet their own needs will rely on commercial imports from Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, all of which have surpluses. However, these national surpluses may not be enough to cover the regional deficit, forcing them to seek commercial exports further abroad.
Lesotho: The international humanitarian community issued an appeal requesting US$18.9 million to assist 550,000 people affected by drought. The funds will be used to cover programmes related to agriculture, food, health, nutrition, protection, and water and sanitation during the next six months. Lesotho appeal is 63 percent funded.
Swaziland: A flash appeal was launched on 25 July, to request US$15.6 million, to address humanitarian concerns due to drought. So far the Swaziland appeal is only 17 percent funded Also, fires have blazed through thousands of hectares of plantations, killing two people, livestock, destroying homes and crops. The Prime Minister declared an emergency on 1 August, and approved US$20 million to respond to the drought and fire emergency.
South Africa: The country's total maize availability amounts to more than nine million MT. The country will import between 1.4 and 1.8 million MT of maize to meet domestic requirements (mainly for the feed industry).
Zimbabwe: More than 4.1 million people will need food assistance at the height of the lean season in the first quarter of 2008. In response to the worsening food security situation, the World Food Programme (WFP) issued an appeal of US$118 million on 1 August to provide food assistance for up to 3.3 million Zimbabweans. NGOs including the Consortium for the Southern Africa Emergency (C-Safe) will also support food interventions.
Mozambique: There is an immediate need to provide food assistance to roughly 500,000 people in Gaza, Maputo, Inhambane, Manica and Tete provinces. A mission will be led by the shortly to determine the exact needs and interventions required to assist the affected population. The World Food Programme (WFP) has food stocks available to feed 200,000 persons up until January 2008.
Zambia: The national food security situation is relatively stable with an adequate supply of staple maize on the market. However, pockets of food insecurity exist in those areas affected by floods and prolonged dry spells. Access to food remains problematic for vulnerable households beset by poverty and exacerbated by HIV/AIDS. Cases of anthrax, a contagious animal disease, were confirmed in Mulembe area on 17 July. Three cattle have been reported to have died from the disease, which is also fatal to humans. FAO is seeking funding for the emergency vaccination of cattle to assist the affected households.
Angola: Eight cases of polio were reported since the beginning of 2007. In response to this, about 58,102 children below the age of five were immunized against polio in the northern Zaire province.
Botswana: The Ministry of Trade has called for the commercialization of agriculture so that the country can achieve self-sufficiency in food production. The country is seeking technical advice on how the country's agricultural sector could be better harnessed to yield positive results and boost economic growth.
Malawi: The country has a cereal surplus of 1.2 million MT according to the national VAC (nVAC). It has sold some of its surplus to Zimbabwe under an export agreement that includes a US$10 million line of credit.
Namibia: According to the national VAC, domestic cereal is estimated at 114,100 MT, a 40 percent decrease from last year. The country will commercially import 132,699 MT of which 89,400 MT has already been planned for, leaving an after-trade deficit of 43,200 tonnes which will be covered by additional commercial imports.
Madagascar: The emergency response to floods ended in the northwest and northeast districts. Consequently, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities are being implemented in these areas by UNICEF and WFP.
Comoros: The Regional Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for Southern Africa (OCHA ROSA) and the South African Human-development Information Management Systems (SAHIMS) facilitated a contingency planning workshop from 23 July to 4 August 2007 in support of the government. The workshop specifically looked at preparedness measures to respond to natural hazards, including an eruption of volcano Karthala. Additionally, it incorporated disaster preparedness and response activities with disaster risk reduction in ongoing UN agencies' and humanitarian partners' programmes.
REGIONAL OVERVIEW
The regional food security situation is mixed. More than five million people in drought-stricken Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique are facing severe food shortages, which will peak in the first three months of 2008. The next main harvest is not expected until April.
Meanwhile countries in the region that have experienced more favourable weather, including northern Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Angola, have had relatively good harvests and are reporting overall satisfactory food security
conditions, with some pockets of increased vulnerability in the latter three. The Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee (rVAC) recently reported a regional cereal deficit of three million metric tonnes (MT) for this season compared to 4.1 million MT last season. While regional deficits have in previous years been largely covered by South Africa's surplus maize production, this year, the country's harvest was drastically reduced, despite the great hectorage planted. According to the Grain South Africa (SAGIS) and the National Crop Estimate Committee (NCEC), South Africa will itself need to import between 1.4 and 1.8 million MT of yellow maize to meet its domestic requirements (mainly for the feed industry), making this the largest maize import since 1997. Countries that cannot meet their own needs will rely on commercial imports from Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, all of which have surpluses due to carryover stocks from last year and/or better harvests this year. However, these national surpluses may not be enough to cover the regional deficit, forcing them to seek commercial exports from further abroad to supplement national food requirements.
Two countries in the region have declared the situation an emergency and appealed for international assistance. In support of the Swaziland government, the international humanitarian community launched a flash appeal on 25 July 2007 to raise US$15.6 million targeting more than 400,000 people. Similarly on 28th July, a US$18.9 million flash appeal was issued for Lesotho to assist more than 550,000 people. So far the Swaziland appeal is only 17 percent funded, while the Lesotho appeal is 63 percent funded. Both figures represent received as well as confirmed pledges.
Fires have also blazed through parts of Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa destroying thousands of hectares of forest plantations and claiming the lives of more than 20 people, destroying homes, crops and killing livestock. On 1 August the Government of Swaziland declared the fires a national emergency and approved US$20 million to respond to both the drought and fire disasters. In South Africa, some 37,000 hectares (ha) and 15,000 ha of grazing land have been destroyed, with total damages estimated at ZAR 10 million (US$1.4 million).