The U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO)
has declared that Zimbabwe's
perennial food shortages must
not be allowed to continue.
According to the FAO, there are
signs that President Robert
Mugabe's government now
wants to address the problem,
which has grown worse this
year.
Once considered southern
Africa's breadbasket, Zimbabwe
has suffered recurring food
shortages for more than a
decade. Currently, more than 2.2
million people - about one-sixth
of the population - depend on
handouts for food.
The FAO head in Zimbabwe,
David Phiri, is worried about the
situation.
"Zimbabwe should not be where
it is right now. This country has
great potential. Unfortunately, we
have one-third of children under
five being stunted. And that is a
serious issue," said Phiri.
The U.N. official spoke
Wednesday on the sidelines of
World Food Day celebrations in
Lupane district, about 700
kilometers southwest of Harare
and one of the areas most
affected by the food shortages
that have become the norm in
Zimbabwe. The shortages have
been regular since 2000, when
President Mugabe embarked on
controversial land reforms that
drove most white commercial
farmers off their land, replacing
them with blacks that often
lacked farming experience.
FAO's Phiri said the Mugabe
government is making an effort
to revive the country's
agriculture industry.
"I think the Zimbabwean
government has shown that it
has political will. They have
[lately] been focusing on
agriculture and political will
[more] than any other thing,"
said Phiri.
As evidence of its commitment to
agriculture, the government
announced it has sourced about
$1 billion from a variety of bodies
to fund the 2013/14 agriculture
season, which in Zimbabwe
starts in October.
The government said.
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