Zimbabwe is susceptible to various recurrent climatic shocks—including drought, floods, and the spread of livestock diseases and pest infestations—that hamper agricultural production, increase food insecurity, and result in increased humanitarian need. Drought conditions linked to El Niño, including below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures, resulted in decreased crop production in 2023 and 2024, with the national maize harvest in 2024 approximately 60 percent below ten-year average levels, according to the Government of Zimbabwe. As a result, approximately 7.6 million people—nearly 50 percent of the population—were expected to face food insecurity by the end of 2024, with widespread Crisis—IPC 3—levels of acute food insecurity likely to persist across the country into 2025, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) and the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC). High levels of food insecurity are also contributing to chronic malnutrition throughout the country, with nearly 5 percent of children under five years of age experiencing wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, in 2024, according to ZimLAC. In addition, more than 23,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, the majority of whom were located at Tongogara refugee camp and relied on humanitarian food assistance to meet their daily needs, remained displaced in Zimbabwe as of November 2024, according to the UN.
On November 22, 2023, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Elaine M. French re-issued a declaration of humanitarian need due to ongoing food insecurity in Zimbabwe. USAID continues to focus on addressing emergency needs—including food and nutrition needs—resulting from drought and other shocks while also supporting interventions to bolster community resilience to mitigate and respond to future shocks.
