Zimbabwe

Key actors

In Zimbabwe, policy for food security is dominated by dealing with the current crisis. The political context is unusual: major donors, such as DFID and USAID, have little or no development programme in Zimbabwe, only humanitarian projects focused on food relief and the HIV/AIDS pandemic through WFP and NGOs. Despite their limited activities, in response to the current food emergency, these donors have found themselves increasing their funding by three times or more to support food relief efforts, either through EMOP or CSAFE. Hence in spite of their governments' differences with the government of Zimbabwe, and the limited contacts with government officials, donors find themselves funding substantial programmes.

Government presents a paradoxical picture. Officially there is a crisis, and much is being done to cope. Policy affecting land, agriculture and food is politically sensitive: discussions usually have to be cleared at high political levels - usually at permanent secretary or ministerial levels. On the other hand, a reasonably effective relief effort has been mounted. Ways have been found to allow government and the NGOs to co-operate in food distribution. Perhaps more surprisingly, the government has imported a large amount of maize commercially, for example 650kt between April 2002 and the end of November 2002, around six times the amount brought in as cereal aid.

A key actor is the national vulnerability assessment committee (VAC) an official body where the differences between government and donors have been bridged, where dedicated technical work is being carried out, and there is direct reporting to a sub-committee of the cabinet. The ability of the VAC to produce regular assessments, accepted as the best estimates and given credibility by all parties, has been an important factor in mounting an effective relief effort in politically difficult circumstances.

Food security issues and debates

Zimbabwe's current food crisis became clear in 2001 and is still (March 2003) to be resolved. Many factors have contributed most to the current emergency, including the following issues:

• Adverse weather: the cropping season since that of 2000-01 have been marked by erratic rains, in some years making replanting necessary and preventing adequate crop growth. With the exception, however, of 2001-02, it is not clear that recent crop seasons have been markedly worse than those applying in comparable previous periods;
  
• Medium-term agricultural marketing policy: the decision in the late 1990s to re-control maize marketing, trade and prices is seen as having prevented the development of an effective private food market, and hence reducing incentives to farmers to produce food and to store it;
  
• Dislocations of land redistribution: the take-over of large-scale commercial farms and their redistribution under the fast-track resettlement programme has led to substantial areas either not being planted, or else not being farmed to the same intensity. New farmers have not had sufficient access to seeds, fertiliser, machinery, or credit to acquire these;
  
• Macroeconomic problems and economic stagnation: economic disappointments have reduced urban employment opportunities, real wages may have fallen owing to high inflation, and remittances from urban to rural areas have probably declined. Increasing price distortions created by the fixed exchange rate have reduced incentives to export sectors: foreign exchange is scarce and some basic commodities have been in short supply, including vehicle fuel;
  
• The HIV/AIDS pandemic: Zimbabwe reports overall infection rates of 25% and estimated annual deaths of around 100k persons, mainly adults and parents in their most productive years. The costs of coping with sickness and death, the loss of labour, and the strains of households taking on orphans are immense. Both the economy and society face a huge challenge. At the same time, government health facilities have few drugs and large shortages of nurses and doctors; and,
  
• Misguided agricultural development policy. Some argue that Zimbabwe is especially vulnerable to climatic variability since too many farms in semi-arid areas plant maize, rather than millet, sorghum or cassava that would yield more when rainfall is low, since extension messages have emphasised maize. Other argue that there has been too little investment in irrigation.

All of these factors - there may be others as well - contribute to some extent to the current problems, but the relative importance of the different factors is in question. The policy implications are dramatically different if the problems can be largely attributed to the dislocations of climatic variability and land redistribution, or if they arise from the impacts of HIV/AIDS.

Food security stakeholders

• Government departments: Ministries of Agriculture; Lands and Rural Resettlement; Local Government and Housing; Social Welfare; National Food and Nutrition Commission; AREX/NEWU
  
• Monitoring networks: Famine Early Warning System Network; Vulnerability Assessment Committee
  
• Private sector: e.g. ZIRDAT - PG Industries
  
• International NGOs: e.g. CARE, World Vision, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services, Christian Aid, World Lutheran Fund; World Vision, ITDG
  
• Civil society and local NGOs: e.g. SAPES Trust
  
• Research organisations: e.g. University of Zimbabwe - Department of Agricultural Economics; Institute of Development Studies
  
• Donors: e.g. DFID; EU (& ECHO); USAID; World Bank; SIDA
  
• UN/Humanitarian agencies: e.g. WFP; FAO; UNDP that houses the Relief and Recovery Unit; UNAIDS; UNICEF
  

The Forum for Food Security in Southern Africa is contributing to national high level food security policy options seminars taking place in each focus country (ie Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe) in 2004. Click here for details of the meeting in Zimbabwe.

Click on the links for the Zimbabwe Country Food Security Options Paper and other documents under Zimbabwe section in information centre.

Contributions to and comments on the work of the Forum for Food Security relating to Zimbabwe are warmly welcomed. Please contact Steve Wiggins for country specific comments on Zimbabwe.