Zambia is not the only country dealing with the effects of El Niño weather conditions. Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi and Zimbabwe have all declared a state of emergency due to severe drought. On the other end of the spectrum, parts of Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia have experienced flooding. El Niño weather conditions are not uncommon in Southern Africa, usually occurring every three to seven years. However, rising ocean temperatures and changes in atmospheric conditions due to climate change are likely behind the increased frequency and intensity of these events.
The effects of below average rainfall have been widespread, with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) estimating that at least 17% of the region’s population, 68 million people, requires food aid. A combination of poor rainfall and high temperatures has also affected hydropower generation on Lake Kariba, which Zambia shares with Zimbabwe. The plant is Zambia’s primary source of electricity, and now the country is beset with rolling electricity blackouts that can last up to 22 hours a day. Combined with the drought, the energy crisis is a blow to the country’s already fragile economy.
How is the Zambian government responding to the crisis? Primarily through relief projects that target food insecurity. Mumba Zulu is an economist and currently serves as a district disaster management officer under Zambia’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). He pointed to four interventions that the Zambian government (through the DMMU and other departments) is undertaking to address food insecurity and loss of income in the agricultural sector. Distribution of food (such as bags of maize) is meant to aid particularly vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled. Food for Work schemes are aimed at people who were unable to produce a sufficient agricultural yield due to the drought. They are recruited to work on long-term infrastructure projects such as community recreation centres and sanitary projects for local communities in exchange for food aid. The Cash for Work programme works in a similar fashion, except its beneficiaries receive money to purchase food. The third intervention is the Wetland Programme. Spearheaded by community development, farmers that have access to arable land suitable for irrigation receive agricultural inputs including fertiliser and grain seed. “We don’t have rain, but people still need to eat,” explains Zulu. The programmer’s goal is to enable farmers to grow and harvest a yield in the period leading up to the next rainy season, in or around November 2024. Lastly, there is the Emergency Cash Transfer Programme. Run by the Department of Social Welfare, the Programme pays out ZMW400 (roughly USD15) monthly or ZMW800 bimonthly.
