Why?
The 2018/2019 rain season was characterized by low rainfall and prolonged dry spells which negatively affected the agriculture sector, particularly crop and livestock production. The government of Zambia through the ZVAC undertook an assessment of the impact of the drought situation on different sectors during the month of May 2019. The food security situation is estimated to likely deteriorate during the lean season. The official report highlights that 1.7 million people are currently food insecure and this figure is projected to increase to 2.3 million between October 2019 and the end of the current consumption period, March 2020. Of the total population, 1,840,000 people are in crises (phase 3) and 410,000 people are in emergency (phase 4). Southern, Western, North western and parts of Eastern provinces are the most severely affected.