Africa-Press – Eswatini. The country is still shocked by the recent leaks.
Government has tried to play down the leaks and gave assurance that the leaks revealed that oversight institutions in the country are working well. This, however, is not good enough as the leaks have created a negative perception about our country. One only hopes that the government will use the leaked information to engage reputable international institutions with relevant expertise to further investigate the matter in order to assure emaSwati that government institutions can be trusted. The positive thing about the leaks is that transparency remains the bedrock of good governance.
Back on the topic for today. At the beginning of the planning season, the meteorology department informed the nation about a looming El-Nino. This is a weather phenomenon that brings high temperature and below average rainfall to Southern Africa from November to April, significantly affecting agriculture leading to possible food shortages. Consequently, a record 30-day dry spell was reported to have affected vast parts of the Southern Africa region, which includes countries such as Angola, Botswana, the DRC, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These countries have received the lowest rainfall in 40 years. Eswatini has not been spared from the El-Nino phenomenon. The planting season has been disrupted by erratic weather patterns that include hailstorms, heavy winds, dry spells and heavy rains, which have affected crops a great deal and will result in poor harvests.
According to the World Food Programme, ‘farming is an important source of food and livelihoods for 70 per cent of rural families’. However, Eswatini is vulnerable to climate change, with frequent droughts, erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells, which are all affecting food production. Other factors include inadequate farming technologies, low investment in seeds, fertilisers and equipment and structural barriers preventing access to formal markets. As a result, the country depends on imports to feed its people. Eswatini is likely to face a below-average harvest in the 2023/24 period, for both consumption and cash crops, compared to the 2022/23 era. Approximately 30 per cent of all food produced is lost post-harvest, due to poor harvesting, handling, storage and transport infrastructure.”
Classified
On the other hand, an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report published in August 2023 indicated that ‘from October 2023 to March 2024, it was projected that approximately 268 000 people will be classified in the IPC Phase 3 (crisis), and nearly 14 700 will be in IPC Phase 4 (emergency). On average 25 per cent will be facing acute food insecurity in the predicted period. The regions with the highest prevalence of food insecurity are Lubombo and Shiselweni, the areas most affected by the drought’. These regions are also worst affected by high poverty levels. The report further states: “The magnitude of the drought and its consequences on food security escalation in the country will worsen with the forecasted El-Nino (January – March period). Seasonal forecasts released by the SADC Meteorological Centre and the local meteorological department predict a high inclination to the El-Nino phenomenon in the January to March period.”
Lucky Sigudla, from the Meteorology Department, was quoted by this publication as having said that the ‘impacts of the El-Nino were expected to show around November going forward in Eswatini and normally they included reduced rainfall’. The country is approaching the harvesting period and anecdotal evidence points to poor harvests for the country. In my community, which is located in Shiselweni 1, residents are losing maize in the fields through theft as a result of other community members who are already facing acute food shortages.
We will recall the King, at end of Sibaya, saying that the country is facing a multiplicity of disasters. These include high levels of poverty, unemployment, food insecurity and the health crisis to mention a few. Now the question I would like to pose is; is government ready to address the looming food crisis?
I observed that the 2024/25 national budget did not have a significant allocation for the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) to address the looming food crisis. As a result, NDMA struggled to assisted families whose houses were affected by heavy hailstorms. Food security is essential to people’s health and well-being. The World Health Organisation (WHO) argues that lack of food is one of the factors that affect health outcomes. The looming food crisis will affect the general health of affected individuals, especially children who may be affected by stunting, kwashiorkor and other health problems.
I would like to acknowledge that the government has policies and institutions to address food insecurity and these include the disaster management policy and legislation. The farming inputs subsidies have also been an important initiative, however, the erratic weather conditions have impacted crops negatively. It is, therefore, critical for the government to assess the situation and quickly declare a national disaster. Government should also ensure that it funds the NDMA adequately, otherwise the poor will not survive the lean period.
Source: times
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