Urban hunger has deepened across Zimbabwe over the past three years, with families cutting back on their quantity and quality of food, according to a joint UN and government assessment.
“Since the last assessment in 2006, the food security situation for the majority of the urban population in high-density and peri-urban areas has been worsening,” said the report.
National urban food insecurity increased from 24 percent in November 2006 to 33 percent by January 2009, with the worst affected areas in Matabeleland North, the westernmost province, and Manicaland Province, bordering Mozambique.
The number of households consuming three meals a day declined from 54 percent in 2006 to 23 percent in 2009, “clearly indicating that households are reducing the number of meals as a coping strategy”, the report noted.
An estimated three million to four million Zimbabweans – in a population of 12 million – have left the country, and their remittances are believed to be one of the keys to the continued solvency of households at home.
Læs mere: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83135
