Southern Africa: SADC Sounds Alarm Over Looming Region-Wide Hunger

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has called for urgent and coordinated regional action to strengthen food security, climate resilience and agricultural systems.

SADC deputy executive secretary for regional integration Angèle N'Tumba made the call while addressing the joint meeting of SADC ministers responsible for agriculture, food security, fisheries and aquaculture at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on Friday.

She warned that worsening climate shocks and geopolitical conflicts were placing millions of people at risk of hunger and economic hardship.

"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," she said.

N'Tumba said while some SADC member states had recorded bumper harvests, others were battling crop losses, damaged infrastructure and livestock deaths caused by excessive rainfall and climate-related disasters.

She warned that climate experts were predicting a 77% likelihood of a moderate to very strong El Niño event developing towards the end of this year and into early 2027, which could trigger below-average rainfall and severe harvest failures across central and southern parts of the region.

"We must start preparing now for such a possibility," she advised.

N'Tumba said agriculture remained the backbone of the SADC region, sustaining more than 70% of the population through food production, trade and related value chains.

She stressed the need for member states to strengthen regional cooperation in tackling livestock diseases, particularly foot and mouth disease, which continues to affect trade, livelihoods and food security.

N'tumba also called on member states to invest more in fisheries and aquaculture to address food and nutrition security challenges.

"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," she said.

Speaking at the same occasion, South African agriculture minister John Steenhuisen, who is also the chairperson of the joint committee, said despite improvements in cereal production, the region still faced serious food insecurity challenges.

"An estimated 58 million people across SADC member states still face acute food insecurity due to issues around access and affordability. This reality demands urgency from all of us," he said.

Steenhuisen called on SADC countries to urgently harmoni