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Written question asked by Ruth Jones (Labour) on Friday, 2 September 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 September 2022. It was answered by Gillian Keegan (Conservative) on Friday, 23 September 2022 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Zimbabwe: Droughts

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken through (a) international diplomacy, (b) Official Development Assistance, or (c) other means, to tackle drought in Zimbabwe.

Answer

Zimbabwe is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the severe impacts of climate change and extreme weather. Despite a good harvest in 2021, 2.9 million people in rural and urban areas were classified as food insecure from October 2021 to April 2022. The 2022 harvest, particularly of maize, will likely be substantially lower than in 2021. The Zimbabwean Government statistics project 3.8 million people will fall into cereal food insecurity at the peak of the lean season in early 2023.

Since 2019 the UK has committed £50.4 million through the Zimbabwe Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (ZHARP), managed by the UN World Food Programme, to provide food aid and cash transfers to the poorest and most vulnerable Zimbabweans. In 2020, 413,000 extremely vulnerable people received food assistance in rural areas. From late 2021 onwards UK humanitarian assistance has focused on urban vulnerability with 10,125 people currently receiving monthly cash-based transfers. The UK is also helping reduce overall food insecurity and reliance on food aid by supporting resilience building programmes promoting climate-smart agriculture, solar irrigation, increased productivity for small farmers, better nutrition and dietary diversity.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
46019
Session
2022-23
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Droughts Zimbabwe
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk