SADC Sounds Alarm Over Looming Region-Wide Hunger

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has issued an urgent call for coordinated regional action to bolster food security, climate resilience, and agricultural systems, citing escalating threats from global supply chain disruptions, climate change, and livestock diseases.

Angèle N'Tumba, SADC deputy executive secretary for regional integration, addressed a joint meeting of SADC ministers responsible for agriculture, food security, fisheries, and aquaculture in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. She warned that intensifying climate shocks and geopolitical conflicts are putting millions at risk of hunger and economic hardship. N'Tumba highlighted how disruptions in global supply chains, particularly the conflict in the Middle East affecting the Strait of Hormuz, are impacting the movement of crucial agricultural inputs like fertilizers and petroleum products, leading to rising food and fuel prices.

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We must start preparing now for such a possibility.

While some SADC member states have reported good harvests, others are grappling with crop losses, damaged infrastructure, and livestock deaths attributed to extreme weather. Climate experts forecast a 77% probability of a moderate to strong El Niño event between late this year and early 2027, which could lead to below-average rainfall and severe harvest failures across central and southern Africa. "We must start preparing now for such a possibility," N'Tumba urged.

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Conflict in the Middle East has resulted in the restriction of movement of agricultural inputs such as nitrogen, urea, ammonia fertilisers and petroleum products, which are all key inputs to agriculture.

Agriculture remains the cornerstone of the SADC region, supporting over 70% of the population through food production and related value chains. N'Tumba stressed the need for enhanced regional cooperation to combat livestock diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, which continue to disrupt trade, livelihoods, and food security. She also called for greater investment in fisheries and aquaculture to address food and nutrition challenges, encouraging member states to invest in cold chain systems, value addition, and climate-resilient production to close the fish supply gap and improve livelihoods, especially for women and youth.

South African agriculture minister John Steenhuisen, who chairs the joint committee, acknowledged that despite improvements in cereal production, the region still faces significant food insecurity, with an estimated 58 million people across SADC member states experiencing acute food insecurity.

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I would like to urge member states to invest in aquaculture, cold chain systems, value addition and climate-resilient production systems to close the fish supply gap and improve livelihoods, particularly for women and youth.