Zambia, Africa | Drought Response

“Zambia is currently experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis from frequent droughts, floods and heat waves driven by climate change. These disaster risks are affecting the country’s poorest communities, especially in rural areas, which rely on rainfall for agriculture. These dry spells, compounded by the El Niño effect, are driving overall increasing severity of food insecurity.

Currently, 84 out of the 116 districts in Zambia are affected by this. The drought has impacted crops and livestock, with an impact too on overall water access and sanitation, and even issues like education. Government data suggests that over 1 million hectares of cropland have been affected, ranging from outright crop failure to significant drop in yields. This current drought crisis is potentially the worst that the country has experienced to date, and February 2024 was the driest and hottest month since 1981. On 29 February 2024, the President of Zambia declared a national emergency due to both prolonged drought and a recent cholera outbreak.”

SOURCE: ReliefWeb