World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the region will experience a sharp food shortfall, with production unable to meet growing demand.

Currently, over 26 million people across southern Africa are facing food insecurity, exacerbated by soaring food prices and inflation. Five countries; Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have declared national droughts. Mozambique’s WFP Country Director, Antonella D'Aprile, described the situation as "dire," with over 1.8 million people already suffering from food insecurity due to drought.

WFP projects that 3.2 million people in the region will be in crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity by early next year. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, acute food insecurity has surged in three eastern provinces due to climate shocks, with over 1.2 million people affected by floods and extreme weather.

Malawi is particularly hard-hit, with one in three people facing hunger. The recent El Niño-induced drought has damaged nearly half of the country's maize crop, further deepening the crisis. Food prices have risen sharply, and the number of children treated for malnutrition has tripled.
 

--ChannelAfrica--