Economics

Food Shortages Rise in Zimbabwe's Imploding Economy

  • Households contending with cash shortages, higher food prices
  • Country requires $1.45 billion to feed those facing hunger

Photographer: Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty Images

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The number of people facing hunger in Zimbabwe surged because of drought and economic shocks including rising food prices and a shortage of cash, according to a report by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee.

Zimbabwe has experienced intermittent food shortages since the government began an often violent land-reform program in 2000 that resulted in the seizure of mostly white-owned commercial farms. The situation has been exacerbated by droughts that resulted in the country becoming a net importer of soy, which is mostly used as animal feed, and often corn.