This comes just days after Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera declared a state of disaster.

The El Niño’s impact has been devastating for two million people in that country, worsening the already exacerbating the catastrophic effects of the climate crisis.

Malawi is still suffering from the impacts of tropical storms and cyclones in 2022 and 2023 and the compounded effect is to push up to 40% of its population into hunger, threatening both lives and livelihoods.

Prolonged dry spells have also damaged crops in Southern and Central regions, while flooding has washed away crops in Northern and Central areas.

According to a statement by WFP, as national maize stocks run low, the country has been forced to import staple commodities, driving food prices to alarming levels. Maize prices nearly doubled in just one year and tripled against the five-year average.

With over 80% of the population relying on agriculture to cover basic needs, the steep decline in staple crops such as maize, rice, soya beans, cowpeas and groundnuts has been devastating for millions of people. “The impact is huge, and so are the needs,” said Paul Turnbull, the WFP Country Director and Representative in Malawi. “We can avert a hunger catastrophe for the hardest hit families, but time is not on our side. I am calling on the international community to step up now and help us save lives.”

On March 23, Chakwera declared a state of disaster in 23 out of Malawi’s 28 districts affected by El Niño conditions.

--ChannelAfrica--