After the floods, hunger: Mozambique’s second disaster

Months after floodwaters ravaged southern Mozambique, residents like Joacim Pinto are confronting a new disaster: hunger. The ground that once sustained his family now lies barren, a stark reminder of lost crops and livestock. For Pinto, 50, the receding water marked not an end, but a beginning of hardship.

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We either die from the floods, or if we survive, hunger takes over.

"We either die from the floods, or if we survive, hunger takes over," Pinto told Al Jazeera. The floods, which swept across Mozambique from late 2025 into early 2026, not only submerged communities but also submerged their ability to produce food. "The floods destroyed our wells, pipes, livestock and gardens," Pinto said. "The price of basic food increased sharply."

The disaster affected several southern and central provinces, devastating farmland and disrupting the transport of food to markets. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported that approximately 275,405 hectares of farmland were impacted, threatening the livelihoods of over 314,783 farmers. In rural Mozambique, farming is a critical safety net, providing food security and protection against price volatility.

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The floods destroyed our wells, pipes, livestock and gardens. The price of basic food increased sharply.

Now, with gardens destroyed and markets inaccessible or operating with limited supply, families are forced to buy food at inflated prices. The World Food Programme (WFP) highlighted that impassable roads and non-functioning markets have severely hampered food distribution. "So, while the exact inflation rate varies by district, what we see on the ground is significant pressure on food prices driven by a dramatic reduction in supply, alongside a surge in humanitarian needs," said Ana Mato Hombre, WFP Mozambique spokesperson. She noted that while isolated cases of price gouging might occur, the primary drivers are the loss of production and disrupted supply routes.

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So, while the exact inflation rate varies by district, what we see on the ground is significant pressure on food prices driven by a dramatic reduction in supply, alongside a surge in humanitarian needs.

Experts like Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, point to a recurring pattern in the Southern African region. "Every time we have floods or droughts in the Southern African region, food prices rise because of supply shortages and the high cost of importing food," he explained. Mabhaudhi added that these repeated climate-related disasters are forcing vulnerable communities into poorer diets due to the inability to access a variety of foods.

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In many flood-affected areas, food stocks were lost, cropland destroyed and several markets are not functioning at all.