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Photo: WFP

Food aid a short -term solution to crisis

JOHANNESBURG, 14 August 2002 (IRIN) - A leading UN agency on Wednesday called on aid groups to rethink how they tackle humanitarian crises in Southern Africa following indications that people are poorer than they were five years ago. In its latest report on the current food security crisis in Southern Africa the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that for a variety of reasons the region had "slipped back in terms of political, economic and social development, all of which has increased the numbers of people living below the poverty line". Compared with 1996 statistics, many more people in Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe did not have enough money to satisfy basic food needs in 2001, according to the report. Zimbabwe faired the worst with close to 75 percent of its population now living in poverty, the report said. Sixty nine percent of Zambians and 48 percent of Swazis had also seen a substantial decrease in purchasing power. Close to 13 million people in six countries face food shortages. Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique are the most affected countries in the region. Although drought conditions may be the principal cause for the food crisis "serious problems of governance, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and virtually non-existent welfare and social security systems" have exacerbated the situation, OCHA said. The report also highlighted how, due to the high degree of economic integration within the region, the downward trend in production and economic opportunities impacted the region. Poor agricultural production in the six countries assessed had resulted in an expected cereal deficit of 4,071,300 mt in Southern Africa. Also, the HIV/AIDS pandemic had exacerbated an already desperate situation, the report said. Almost 25 percent of Swazis are living with HIV/AIDS. "For people living with HIV/AIDS, food shortages bring a host of problems such as secondary infections as their resistance declines due to poor nutrition. The resulting increased costs of care-giving and loss of productive labour has an asset-stripping effect on households as well as on their purchasing power," OCHA said. The report said families directly affected by HIV/AIDS (including child-headed households and those caring for AIDS orphans) had been identified by agencies and would be provided with the necessary support. While feeding the most vulnerable may be the short-term solution to the current crisis, OCHA pointed out that the major challenge facing the region was maintaining economic growth high enough to increase per capita incomes. This would reduce poverty and decrease vulnerability, the report said. However, the organisation acknowledged that this was made all the more difficult by low production levels, low savings and external debt burdens. On 18 July, the UN launched a Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal calling on donors to give a total of US $611 million to respond to the worsening crisis.