The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned of rising cases of food insecurity in Southern Africa due to deforestation and soil degradation caused by droughts in the region.
“More than 45% of the land in Southern Africa is severely affected, undermining agricultural and livestock productivity and threatening livelihoods such as farming, which provides jobs for more than 60% of the population. In this subregion, land degradation is not just an environmental issue. It is a food security crisis and a barrier to development,” said Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa.
Speaking in Maputo at the opening of the regional workshop of the Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program, a regional exchange mechanism, Talla acknowledged that African forests support thousands of people and absorb carbon, playing a vital role in global environmental sustainability.
“However, despite this ecological and socioeconomic wealth, Southern Africa’s lands are facing unprecedented pressures. Climate variability, recurrent droughts, and widespread land degradation threaten this immense natural capital,” he said.
The coordinator urged collective efforts for preservation, including support for ongoing programs aimed at forest restoration, promotion of sustainable fisheries and agriculture, and water management. “We are investing in specialized assessment tools, promoting sustainable forest and land management practices, and strengthening dryland value chains to ensure that restoration efforts translate into tangible benefits for communities,” he concluded.
In February, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report estimated that around 3.3 million people would face food insecurity due to the impacts of climate shocks and armed insurgency in the country.
The report noted that “the number of people in acute food insecurity requiring urgent assistance (…) could rise from 2.79 million to about 3.28 million people between October [2024] and March 2025.”
At the time, the United Nations also estimated that food insecurity, worsened by El Niño, had reached “unprecedented levels” in the country, threatening nearly five million people, amid a scenario of drought and lack of international funding for field support.
According to a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the findings were based on an analysis of agricultural activity and food insecurity, indicating that “it has reached unprecedented levels in Mozambique,” with a total of 4,890,232 people at risk of food insecurity until the end of the campaign, which closed in March.
In 2024, the UN agency launched an appeal for $222 million in international support to mitigate the effects of drought in Mozambique but admitted facing “a significant funding gap,” having raised only $28.7 million, equivalent to 13% of the identified needs.
Source: Diário Económico
