Since mid-January 2024, Zambia has been experiencing a devastating 5-month drought that has now impacted nearly half the country’s population.
Exacerbated by climate change and the El Niño weather phenomenon, climate patterns in Southern Africa have changed causing Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi to declare a state of national disaster.
Southern Africa’s economic and social environment has plummeted as a result, with the drought hitting a critical phase of the crop cycle. Six million people have been impacted by the drought in Zambia, as well as another one million in Malawi.
Food shortages in Zambia have led to an 82% price increase in some affected areas, impacting 70% of smallholder farmers and leading to over 18 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.
