• Food security conditions are currently satisfactory over most parts of Southern Africa due to adequate availability of staple foods from the May/June 2010 harvests. These conditions are expected to remain stable for m ... more
  • Food security conditions are currently satisfactory over most parts of Southern Africa due to adequate availability of staple foods from the May/June 2010 harvests. These conditions are expected to remain stable for most of the region until the start of the lean season in October/November. However, isolated pockets of food insecurity exist in areas where crop production was adversely affected by weather shocks and among populations rendered chronically vulnerable by the erosion of livelihoods and growing levels of poverty. One area of particular concern is southern Malawi. The recently concluded national vulnerability assessments indicate generally lower levels of food insecure populations this season when compared to last year.
  • Crop harvest estimates also point to an increased regional cereal harvest when compared to last year, with most countries indicating increases in total cereal production, particularly maize. It is estimated that the region will benefit from a surplus, which is currently projected at 2.05 million MT. South Africa has the capacity to cover the maize import needs of neighboring deficit countries. Significant maize surpluses are also projected in Zambia and Malawi, while Tanzania and Mozambique are also estimating national production to exceed requirements.
  • Constraints to regional food availability include the capacity of countries facing grain shortages to import sufficient quantities due to government financial limitations and the fact that households that are food insecure due to production losses may not have the means to access market supplies. Many of the households assessed as food insecure, especially in Malawi and Mozambique, already require external assistance, and planned/ongoing interventions by governments and partners may be inadequate to mitigate the situation until the next main harvest.

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