Drought-stricken Zimbabwe declares state of disaster

[jpak]

Source: Washington Post

MASVINGO, Zimbabwe — Thin like their owners, cattle wander in a parched riverbed. Desperate villagers barter a few fish for maize because there is no money for food. In this drought-stricken area of Zimbabwe, some people allege that who you know determines whether you’ll get state food aid, with those out of favor with local officials going hungry.

Underscoring the severity of the drought linked to the El Nino weather pattern that is hitting much of southern Africa, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe declared a state of disaster, with the hope that Thursday’s announcement will speed up the flow of aid to needy communities.

The drought has devastated crops and sharply reduced rainfall. The situation is especially acute in Zimbabwe, where a declining economy and rising unemployment have made life hard for many people in a country once known as a regional breadbasket.

The number of Zimbabweans in need of urgent food aid has spiked to about one quarter of the population of 13 million people, according to the U.N. World Food Program. That number could go even higher and the food crisis could spill into next year, said Prisca Mupfumira, Zimbabwe’s minister for public service, labor and social welfare.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/drought-stricken-zimbabwe-declares-state-of-disaster/2016/02/05/f6e42636-cbfb-11e5-b9ab-26591104bb19_story.html

[virgogal]

1. God help the people and with Mugabe in charge

not much will be done.

The country is doomed until they get new leadership.

[DetlefK]

2. One has to wonder how much their agricultural policy is to blame.

Zimbabwe had a system of large farms, owned by white people. Mugabe went all populistic and disappropriated them and their land was split up and redistributed to poor black people.

Agriculture went from being the business of few experienced people who can afford investments to many unexperienced people who don't have the money to invest in their farm.

Food-production dropped.




A farmer with enough money for investment could afford to have a deeper water-well drilled.

A farmer with experience would know that during a drought you don't plant thirsty crop like FUCKING MAIZE.
(What about some old-fashioned millet? It's a native crop of Africa and it's suited for hot&dry climate.)

[nyabingi]

5. These were mostly large

industrial-scale farms growing things like tobacco to sale and make profit, not to feed Zimbabweans.

Let's not get into the racist shit that the white man in Zimbabwe was the only thing keeping the stupid Africans from starving - they were doing fine feeding themselves long before Europeans invaded.

[Gregorian]

3. It's also due to global dimming. Particulates creating clouds where they don't rain on the country.

I'm not able to grab the reference, but it's very clear now why they have experienced drought. And it's literally what is coming out of our tailpipes which has caused it.

We're killing them.

[nyabingi]

4. Hopefully Zimbabwe will get the help it

needs to make it through the drought (which is obliquely being blamed on Mugabe - didn't know he could control weather patterns).

I'm sure I may be the only one posting on this site (or in this country) who is a fan of Robert Mugabe, and hopefully the fact that he is reviled in much of the Western world won't prevent well-meaning people from offering aid and donations.

[Throd]

6. Not surprised that you are a Mugabe fan. At least you admit it.

Any help to Zimbabwe should go directly to the people, not the Mugabe government.