Since mid-January 2024, Zambia has been experiencing a devastating drought affecting 9.8 million people (nearly half the country’s population). This has been declared a national disaster by President Hakainde Hichilema.
Lack of food security
The country is currently facing food-shortages, with 6.6 million Zambians having no food security. Access to safe-drinking water is not universally available, and many Zambians are affected by dehydration.
One of the farmers working with Ripple Effect, Phales Kunda, has been severely affected by the drought. Her 2 acre field had a total crop failure due to the lack of rain. She used to harvest 50 x 50kg bags of maize, used for feeding her family and earning additional income with the surplus. Now, total crop failure has led her to lose her harvest, and she is struggling to feed her six children.
About 43% of planted maize has been destroyed because of the long-lasting dry spell, causing total crop failure. Loss is also felt with regards to livestock, as many animals have suffered illness and disease due to the conditions, making them not safe for consumption and a burden for farmers to keep alive, causing higher death rates.
Challenges with healthcare, power distribution and inflation
Aside from problems directly related to reduced food supplies, healthcare is now harder to access for those in need due to the numbers of people suffering the health effects of the drought.
Zambia's hydro-power infrastructure is affected by the reduced water levels in Lake Kariba. Power outages for 8 hours to 10 hours a day are affecting emergency response efforts and having an impact on the entire population.
Inflation reached 13.70% in April 2024, with food inflation now at 15.6%, driven by a 5% depreciation in the Zambian Kwacha exchange rate and rising prices of maize and fuel.
The Zambian government estimates that 23.4 billion Kwacha (£731.5M) are needed to mitigate this situation.
Brandy Mungaila, Director of Zambian Rainbow Development Foundation (ZRDF), Ripple Effect's delivery partner in Zambia, says:
"Traditionally in Zambia we would expect our cool dry season to start in May and continue to mid-August, when it would be followed by the hot dry season until around mid-November when our rains would come.
"These patterns have been changing over the years and becoming less predictable, but this year has been truly shocking for us. Since mid-January we have been in drought; there have been more than 120 days without any rainfall at all.
“Many farmers say they have never seen weather like this in their lifetime. They are struggling to survive. Crops have dried out and and are yielding very little at all. The nation-wide food shortage and famine has affected over a million children, including the families of our project participants. The drought has been declared a national disaster by President Hakainde Hichilema for the critical threat to the nation's food security, water supply, and energy production.
“The drought has plunged about 9 million people into varying degrees of food insecurity, with 2.04 million people already classified as severely food insecure. This has led to a sharp rise in food inflation, reaching 14.2% by the end of 2023. The scarcity of water has also been a significant concern, with about 3.5 million people in need of support to access safe water."
Our work in Zambia in partnership with ZRDF has never been more needed, and continues despite the logistical challenges. Digging boreholes, helping families to build keyhole gardens and even supplying watering cans are helping families to cope.
Ripple Effect's approach to reducing the impact of drought on farmers
A key part of our work at Ripple Effect is offering sustainable farming solutions, that can be used to better resist challenges caused by extreme climate. We encourage our farmers to plant specific crops that can be harvested before the hot dry season arrives, for a higher likelihood of abundant harvests with reduced risk of harsh climate such as drought.
But, as climate is difficult to predict, we also train farmers in sustainable farming practices that help them diversify and increase their harvest, along with having more variety for trade through their enterprise. We introduce them to practices such as crop rotation, a technique essential to the enhancement of soil structure and fertility, helping crops thrive.
By getting better harvests through these techniques and guidance with their enterprise, farmers can gain higher income to help fund the installation of irrigation schemes for their fields, making them less dependant on seasonal rain.
If you would like to support our work, you can set up a monthly donation, which will allow us to plan our resources and reach more farmers.
If you want to know more about our work in Zambia read more here.
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