Southern Africa

Key Developments

USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is responding to disasters in Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.

Southern African countries continue to recover from El Niño-related drought conditions that began in 2015, as well as cyclones that struck Madagascar and Mozambique in early 2017. Most surplus-producing areas in Southern Africa will likely experience Minimal—IPC 1—levels of food insecurity through January 2018 due to average to above-average crop production, according to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). However, some vulnerable households that have not fully recovered from early 2017 cyclones and several years of poor harvests will likely experience Stressed—IPC 2—or Crisis—IPC 3—levels of food insecurity during the 2017/2018 lean season and require humanitarian assistance to meet basic needs.

The majority of Southern Africa will likely receive average to above-average rainfall between October 2017 and March 2018, with average to below-average rainfall expected in southern areas, according to FEWS NET.

Fall armyworm (FAW)—an invasive species of caterpillar that can damage staple and cash crops—continues to negatively affect crops in Southern Africa. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, officials had detected and reported FAW infestations in Angola,

Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe as of September 1.

In FY 2017, the U.S. Government provided nearly $132 million—including more than $96 million from USAID’s Office of Food for Peace and more than $35 million from USAID/OFDA—in humanitarian assistance to support emergency food, nutrition, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions for disaster-affected populations across Southern Africa.