Zambia 2024 Drought

Starting in January 2024, most of Zambia began experiencing an ongoing drought, considered to be the worst to hit the country in at least two decades, leading to severe food shortages, water scarcity, and a national emergency declaration. The drought has affected the majority of the 116 districts across Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Lusaka, Northwestern, Southern, and Western provinces. Triggered by an El Nino induced dry spell, the drought continues to have profound impacts on agriculture, water supply, and food security. Zambia's economy and food security is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, making the country particularly vulnerable to changes in weather patterns. The 2023-2024 rainy season saw the influence of El Niño, leading to significantly reduced rainfall and the onset of severe drought conditions, which continue to persist. On 29 February 2024, President Hakainde Hichilema declared the drought a national disaster.               

The drought has featured in recent ITV and BBC news articles.

‘Climate change-caused’ drought leaves Zambians on the cusp of hunger crisis | ITV News

Zambia electricity crisis: Drought hits hydro-powered Kariba Dam - BBC News

One of the consequences of the drought has been the increase in the cost of basic foodstuffs including maize meal.

Following the recent receipt of a legacy the Zambia Society Trust has given “one off” payments in addition to our usual funding to the projects we support which run feeding programs to enable them to purchase mealie meal.

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