U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
SOUTHERN AFRICA - COMPLEX DROUGHT
Fact Sheet #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2002    May 10, 2002


Overview

- Southern Africa is currently facing a food security crisis, resulting in
part from adverse climate conditions for two consecutive growing seasons
in parts of the region. The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that more
than 2.6 million people are currently affected by the food security
crisis. Some reports indicate that the crisis is similar in magnitude to
the 1995-1996 drought, which affected approximately six million people.
While the drought extends across much of the region, the worst affected
countries include Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.  Lesotho, Mozambique, and
Swaziland are also impacted.  To date, the USG has provided more than
$49.6 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the food security
crisis through the United States Agency for International Development's
(USAID) Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP), the Office of U.S. Foreign
Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), and the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).  The majority of the humanitarian assistance has been
emergency food relief provided by USAID/FFP. In addition to these
contributions, USAID/FFP, USAID/OFDA, and FEWS NET are actively monitoring
the development of the food security crisis through regular USAID field
assessments and participation in wider assessments conducted by the
humanitarian community.


Region

- According to the Drought Monitoring Center in Harare, Zimbabwe, rainfall
during the first three months of the rainy season, which lasts from
October to April in Southern Africa, was within normal ranges and in
accordance with predictions throughout much of the region. However,
between January to March, dry spells extended across large sections of the
region, particularly from southern Zimbabwe, eastwards into southern
Mozambique.

- The regional drought, combined with political, economic, and social
conditions specific to each country, has resulted in regional food
shortages and a potential humanitarian crises in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and
Zambia, and to a lesser extent in southern Mozambique. While production
estimates are still being finalized, the region is expected to face a
deficit of more than three million MT of maize for the April 2002 - March
2003 consumption year. Of this total, two million MT of maize may have to
be provided through international food aid. The food security crisis is
impacting local populations to varying degrees, depending on the coping
mechanisms available to each population.

- Zimbabwe is traditionally a food exporter, supplying much of the food
imported by other countries in the region.  Shortfalls in agricultural
production in Zimbabwe have a direct impact on the availability, price,
and accessibility of food stocks throughout the region.

- WFP/U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Crop and Food Supply
Assessment Missions, working with Southern Africa Development Committee
(SADC) Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Office and FEWS NET, are
underway throughout the region. The results of these assessments are
expected in early June and will provide an indication of the food
availability situation during the current consumption year (April 2002
through March 2003).

- Most affected populations rely to some degree on livestock as a coping
mechanism when food is either unavailable or inaccessible; therefore, the
health of livestock is a key determinant for vulnerability.

- High prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS in much of the region leaves large
segments of the population increasingly susceptible to health problems
associated with food shortages, including malnutrition. In addition, those
suffering from both malnutrition and HIV/AIDS are increasingly susceptible
to endemic diseases, such as cholera and malaria.

- Minimal regional infrastructure and limited logistical capacity will be
a major factor affecting the effectiveness of a large international
response to the humanitarian crisis.


Lesotho

- According to an early May food security assessment by the U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the WFP, long-term food security issues
were aggravated by a decrease in crop harvest of nearly 50% in the
2001-2002 season. Factors contributing to the drop in production included:
1) increased early rains that delayed the planting season and resulted in
a 30-40% decrease in the total land area planted; 2) late rains during the
planting season; 3)  periods of frost that affected crop development; and
4) poor farming practices that reduce the availability of top soil and
deplete nutrients from the soil.


- The FAO/WFP assessment reported that those with access to crops will
have enough food stocks for the next three to four months. Similarly,
those with access to livestock will have adequate coping mechanisms for
the coming year.

- FAO/WFP indicated a poor outlook for the next harvest season, as the
possibility of an El Nino may result in decreased rainfall. However,
according FEWS NET, Lesotho is unlikely to face a major food security
crisis this year, as the country has the resources to import as much as
half of their cereal requirements.

- WFP is currently completing a supplementary food distribution program
that benefits 35,000 vulnerable people, primarily the elderly,
child-headed households, and women-headed households.


Malawi

- The President of Malawi declared a national disaster on February 27, as
a result of drought-related food shortages.  The most severely affected
regions of Malawi include parts of the Central, Southern, and Lakeshore
regions.

- According to the Government of Malawi (GOM), the total maize shortfall
for this year will reach 700,000 MT.

- Despite media reports citing 70% of the population faces starvation,
initial estimates from nongovernmental organizations NGOs, WFP, and the
Government of Malawi (GOM), indicate that between 750,000 and 1,000,000
Malawians are currently vulnerable to the food security crisis. This
population includes people who live in areas designated by WFP, USAID's
Famine Early Warning System (FEWSNET), and the European Union (EU) as "at-
risk," currently malnourished children under five, pregnant or lactating
women, HIV/AIDS victims, the elderly, and orphans. An additional portion
of the population will become vulnerable in three to six months, as their
current food stocks and coping mechanisms are exhausted.

- A joint USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP assessment, conducted from March 12 to
18, reported that the early onset of seasonal food scarcity coupled with
rising food prices has resulted in many subsistence farmers exhausting
their traditional coping mechanisms and liquidating tangible assets,
including livestock.

- The USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP field visit indicates that the overall
humanitarian situation may develop into a large-scale food crisis as early
as September or October 2002.

- In response to the food security crisis that resulted from the drought,
U.S. Ambassador Roger A. Meece declared a disaster in Malawi on March 8.
USAID/OFDA provided $25,000 through USAID/Lilongwe, which was combined
with $37,000 in development funds, to enable Catholic Relief Services
(CRS) to divert 630 MT of Title II development food stocks to support new
supplemental feeding activities. Medicines Sans Frontieres/Luxembourg
(MSF/L), Save the Children/United States (SCF/US), and CADECOM (local
CARITAS) are implementing the supplemental feeding activities.

- USAID/Lilongwe also redirected $94,000 in development funds to address
the humanitarian situation by facilitating the processing of fortified
corn-soya blend (CSB) to meet the nutritional needs of 300,000
malnourished children.

- According to UN OCHA, the cholera crisis that continues to affect Malawi
has been aggravated by malnutrition, resulting from the current food
shortage. The current crisis has claimed 1,000 lives and peaked in
February and March with 40,000 reported cases.  In response to the cholera
outbreak, USAID/OFDA provided $100,000 through USAID/Lilongwe to the
Malawian Red Cross to address the medical needs of those affected by the
outbreak.


Mozambique

- The Government of the Republic of Mozambique (GRM) reported that
50,000-60,000 families, or 250,000-300,000 people, are severely affected
and will require emergency food assistance and seeds for a period of six
to seven months. An additional 70,000 families, or 350,000 people, are
identified as moderately affected and will need two to four months of food
assistance in late 2002.

- According to USAID/Maputo, the areas most affected by the drought
include Inhambane, Gaza, Sofala, and Tete Provinces. The effects of the
resulting food security situation expand into the southern provinces
because the failure of the maize and sorghum crops in the rural, central
provinces reduces the commercial inflows of food stocks to more urban
areas.

- Livestock herds have been decimated by three consecutive years of
natural disasters in Mozambique, leaving rural families who depend on
subsistence agriculture without access to their primary traditional coping
mechanism.


Zambia

- WFP reported that nearly 400,000 people in 19 districts located in the
Southern, Eastern, and Western provinces have been affected by
drought-related food insecurity. This total represents 20% of the total
population of two million.

- USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP conducted an initial assessment of the food
security crisis in Zambia from April 7 to 13.  The team reported that the
number of people in need is expected to dramatically increase by September
or October

- The food security crisis in Zambia coincides with an ongoing livestock
crisis that has decimated nearly 90% of the cattle herds in Kalomo
district alone, since 1997. The livestock crisis is the result of several
years of uncontrolled East Coast Fever, or Corridor Disease. The livestock
crisis impacts subsistence farmers by reducing future planting areas, as
the livestock are used as ploughs and other productive assets, and
limiting a primary household savings instrument and coping mechanism.

- In May, WFP plans to redirect its emergency food aid activities, which
were originally a response to the flooding in 2001, to address the needs
of the most vulnerable populations through free food distributions.  WFP
is assessing the situation in eight additional districts to determine if
other needs exist.

- In response to the food security situation, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) contributed 15,000 MT of Section 416 (b) food
commodities valued at approximately $7,900,000.


Zimbabwe

- The onset of the drought in January aggravated an already unstable food
security situation, which results from the following: 1) decreases in
production as a result of the government's land acquisition program; 2)
rising prices of staple foods in the midst of a declining economy
characterized by high inflation and unemployment; and 3)  continued
political uncertainty.

- President Mugabe declared a disaster in Zimbabwe effective April 30 and
appealed for international assistance as a result of food insecurity
affecting communal lands, resettlement areas, and urban centers. The GOM
reports that 7.8 million people, 5 million of whom are children, will
require humanitarian assistance for the next 18 months.  According to FEWS
NET, the vulnerable population requiring food assistance will reach three
million by June 2002.

- In response to the food security situation, USAID/FFP provided 34,430 MT
of P.L. 480 Title II emergency food commodities, valued at $19,912,528, to
support 633,000 beneficiaries.  In addition, USDA contributed 10,000 MT of
Section 416 (b) commodities valued at approximately $5,300,000.


U.S. Government Response

- USAID/FFP and USDA have provided 95,000 MT of P.L 480 Title II and
section 416(b) emergency food commodities to the region, including 60,000
MT for use in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The remaining 33,000 MT, valued at
$16,373,000 million, will be pre-positioned in the region. Allocation of
these food stocks has yet to be determined.

- USAID/FFP also plans to procure an additional 40,000 MT of food
commodities, valued at approximately $15,000,000, for use in the region.


Public Donation Information

- In the interest of effective coordination of public response, USAID
encourages the public to contact directly those private voluntary
organizations (PVOs) currently working in the region in order to provide
monetary donations.  Cash donations are the preferred response to the
emergency.

- For a list of non-governmental organizations providing disaster
assistance in the region, please visit USAID's website at
http://www.usaid.gov.  Those interested in providing specific technical
relief services or commodities can obtain guidelines for private voluntary
organizations through Volunteers in Technical Assistance's (VITA's)
Disaster Information Center at http://www.vita.org.

- USAID will not deviate from standard Denton Program procedures for
transporting privately-donated relief supplies.  USAID will prioritize
delivery of essential relief commodities.  For more information on the
Denton Program, please refer to the USAID website at
http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/pvc/denton.html.

- For additional information about the relief effort in Southern Africa,
please refer to the Natural Disasters section of ReliefWeb at
http://www.reliefweb.int/



U.S. GOVERNMENT HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO SOUTHERN AFRICA

Agency
Implementing Partner
Sector
Regions
Amount

Malawi

USAID   $125,000
USAID/OFDA   $125,000


USAID/Lilongwe
Supplementary Feeding
$25,000


Malawian Red Cross
Health
$100,000

TOTAL USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO MALAWI	$125,000


Zambia
USDA
$7,900,000

WFP
416(b) Title II Food Assistance
$7,900,000

TOTAL USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO ZAMBIA	$7,900,000


Zimbabwe
USAID	$19,912,528
USAID/FFP	$19,912,528


WFP
P.L. 480 Title II Food Assistance
$11,657,300


WVI
P.L. 480 Title II Food Assistance
$8,255,288

USDA	$5,300,000


WFP
416(b) Title II Food Assistance

$5,300,000
TOTAL USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO ZIMBABWE   $25,212,528
Regional Assistance Summary
USAID   $36,410,528
USAID/OFDA   $125,000
USAID/FFP   $36,285,528

P.L. 480 Title II Food Assistance – 35,000 MT prepositioned food
commodities
$16,373,000

USDA   $13,200,000

TOTAL USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO SOUTHERN AFRICA DROUGHT
$49,610,528


* USAID/OFDA fact sheets can be obtained from the USAID web site at
http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/ofda/situation.html



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