HIGHLIGHTS
UN predicts deteriorating food security levels across the region by July
Drought-affected households in Lesotho and Swaziland report urgent water needs
USAID contributes an additional $52 million for drought response activities in Southern Africa
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee—comprising representatives from the SADC Secretariat, member countries, and UN agencies—presented preliminary results of recent national Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC) surveys during a June 6‒8 conference in Pretoria, South Africa. Final results from the national assessments, which include data on agricultural production, food insecurity, and malnutrition, will inform the SADC regional drought appeal, scheduled for release in late June.
While limited ongoing harvests will temporarily improve food access in parts of Southern Africa, the UN expects food security to deteriorate further by July, with food insecurity peaking between December 2016 and March 2017 as the effects of consecutive poor harvests set in.
Regional maize and grain prices—typically lower following the harvest period—remain above five-year averages across the region as a result of below-average food production, the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) reports. In Malawi and Mozambique, staple crop prices are more than 100 percent higher than 2015 levels.
USAID/FFP recently provided more than $42 million to the UN World Food Program (WFP) for emergency food assistance to drought-affected households. The total includes more than $34 million for Malawi, $4 million for Madagascar, and $4 million for Mozambique. In addition, USAID/OFDA committed nearly $11 million to support drought response activities—including agriculture, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions—in the region. To date in FY 2016, USAID has provided more than $127 million in humanitarian assistance for the drought response in Southern Africa.