Zim food insecurity | Zimbabwe receives R210-million in food aid

HARARE - The World Food Program has received 11,3 million US dollars worth of food aid from USAID as part of a programme to feed 2.7 million starving Zimbabweans in rural areas.

READ: Zimbabwe's economic crisis | Ordinary people going hungry

Drought and other climate change-induced weather changes have ravaged the country's rural areas leaving thousands without food to eat.

The World Food Program says the food crisis facing 2.7 million Zimbabweans emanates from poor harvests in drought–ravaged areas last farming season. The situation is set to deteriorate further due to the current El Nino-related low rainfall.

Receiving the food aid from USAID in Harare this week, WFP Zimbabwe says the assistance will cover 230,000 people first.

Once one of Africa's breadbaskets, and a food exporter, Zimbabwe has heavily relied on assistance from donors to feed its population in recent years.

Besides the hunger faced by the rural population, Zimbabwe is also facing a long-running economic crisis that is underpinned by the depreciation of the Zimbabwe dollar. The country also faces high unemployment and shortages of fresh water and electricity.