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Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Health Reporter
Government has made major strides in the provision of food and agricultural inputs to the vulnerable rural population in line with the country’s economic blueprint Zim-Asset.

One of the major arms of Zim-Asset is the food and nutrition cluster that seeks to ensure food security for all Zimbabweans.

Contrary to the popular notion that the country is heavily dependent on donors, the 2016 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) rural livelihoods assessment revealed that Government was the major provider of food, agricultural inputs and rural development compared to other stakeholders.

According to the assessment report compiled by the Food and Nutrition Council (FNC) 48, 5 percent of households who received support during the 2015/16 consumption period, received it from Government.

Support also came from other sources within and outside the country contributing at least 32,6 percent of the total support rendered to the vulnerable communities while United Nations (UN) agencies and other development partners assisted 16,4 households.

Much of the support from UN agencies and other NGOs benefited people in Matabeleland North (25 percent), Matabeleland South (21 percent), Masvingo (25 percent and Manicaland (19 percent).

“Contribution of Government food assistance for maize stock was higher compared to that of NGO food assistance while the converse was true for sorghum,” said ZimVAC chairperson Mr George Kembo.

Mr Kembo, who is also the director for FNC further stressed in his report that Government was also the leading source of agricultural inputs particularly cotton seed, during the same period having contributed at least 48 percent of all cotton seed that was planted during the 2015/16 agricultural season compared to 26 percent contributed by private contractors.

Government also supplied at least 19 percent of all the maize seed after communities purchased 43 percent for themselves compared to one percent provided for by non-governmental organisations.

However, due to drought experienced during the 2015/2016 agricultural season and current economic situation prevailing in the country an estimated 4,1 million people in rural areas are projected to be food insecure between January and March 2017 during the hunger peak season with a prevalence of 42 percent up from 30 percent the previous season.

Last year the number of people reported to be food insecure in rural areas stood at 3 million. According to the report, 2015 and 2016 recorded the worst food insecure prevalence since 2009.

The prevalence ranged between 6 and 25 percent over the past seven years.

Manicaland and Masvingo provinces are projected to have the highest number of food insecure people during the peak hunger period.

Matabeleland North, Masvingo and Midlands provinces are projected to have the highest proportions of food insecure households during the peak hunger period accounting for 77 percent, 50 percent and 48 percent respectively.

Mashonaland West Province (23 percent) is projected to have the least proportion of food insecure households. Twenty districts are projected to have more than 50 percent of their households having inadequate means to meet their food needs without resorting to severe livelihoods and consumption coping strategies.

“There is an inverse relationship between levels of cereal crop production and food insecurity prevalence. When crop production is low, levels of food insecurity are high and vice versa. This demonstrates the significant impact cereal harvests have on household food access for the majority of rural households in the country,” said Mr Kembo in his analysis.

He said there was need by both Government and its development partners to continue with food assistance programmes and scale up strategies to assist those who were food insecure.

Mr Kembo said an estimated 380 000 metric tonnes of maize or an equivalent assortment of food stuffs that can provide the same amount of energy is needed to close the projected food gap of the food insecure households.

“This projected food security situation is made assuming that Government and the private sector will, once more, collaborate to import maize enough to fill the 2016 cereal (maize, sorghum and millet) harvest deficit estimated by the Ministry of Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation Development at 964, 032 metric tonnes,” he said.

He said given that the food insecurity projections are made on the basis of a number of assumptions, there is need to regularly monitor these and update the food security projections situation accordingly throughout the 2016/17 consumption year.

Mr Kembo said although contribution from petty trading such as gardening, formal and informal employment was small, it added to the total number of rural people who were food secure.

His report also noted that Government took the lead in addressing some of the challenges faced by communities in producing enough food for consumption.

Some of the challenges noted include, poor road networks, markets, access to water for both domestic use and for production.

Mr Kembo said Government contributed 65 percent towards addressing these challenges compared to 17 percent contribution from partners, 16 percent communities and two percent well-wishers.

The most common development was irrigation infrastructure.

“Rural communities continue to face challenges in accessing markets for agricultural inputs and outputs as well as for food. Most rural communities are generally far from markets and have poor road and communication infrastructure connecting them. There is need to strengthen District Development Fund (DDF) with capacity enhancement and financial resources for maintenance of rural feeder roads,” he said.

Over 14 434 households across all districts of the country were sampled in the survey, which took place between May and June.