Zambia | World Food Programme

More than half of Zambia's population still lives below the poverty line. The COVID-19 pandemic put further strain on an economy already weakened by recurrent climate shocks, falling copper prices and unsustainable fiscal policies.

The country is facing it worst drought on record due to the ongoing effects of El Niño, with some regions receiving less than 50 percent of usual annual rainfall. The is affecting affected food production and natural resources, with a knock-on effect on food security.

Zambia’s 2 million smallholder farmers are extremely vulnerable to such climate shocks, as they predominately depend on rain-fed agriculture. They also face limited access to high-quality inputs, climate and post-harvest management information, sustainable markets and financial services.

Malnutrition rates remain among the highest in the world, with 48 percent of the population unable to meet their minimum-calorie requirements and more than one-third of children aged under 5 stunted. Limited knowledge of nutrition, lack of access to diverse nutritious food, poor feeding practices and poor-quality diets are major factors. Overweight and obesity, especially among women, is a growing problem attributed to high consumption of unhealthy diets.

Zambia currently hosts over 82,000 refugees and asylum seekers. Most refugees (80 percent) are women and children fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who require humanitarian assistance to survive.

The World Food Programme (WFP) drives innovation and positive change in disaster risk management, smallholder farmer support, school meals and social protection. WFP is focusing its efforts on strengthening national systems and capacities.

What the World Food Programme is doing in Zambia

Crisis response: WFP helps food-insecure people meet their basic food and nutrition needs. Cash and food assistance is provided to refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo based in Mantapala Refugee Settlement, as well as vulnerable people affected by climate and other shocks. Cash allows people to buy the food they prefer, and can contribute towards more diverse diets.
Nutrition: WFP works with the Government to promote the production and availability of nutritious food, by supporting smallholder farmers and working with the private sector through the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Business Network. WFP supports the Government in strengthening evidence on nutrition to advocate for greater investment and inform the design of programmes and policy.
Smallholder farmer support: WFP supports smallholder farmers in improving and restoring their livelihoods and enhancing their resilience against shocks. Through training and infrastructure development, smallholder farmers are supported in accessing and using productive assets, climate information, financial services and markets. WFP prioritizes the needs of women farmers who have less access to agricultural inputs than men.
Strengthening government social protection systems: WFP is shifting to technical assistance that supports national institutions’ capacities to design policies and programmes that promote food security. This includes the Home-Grown School Meals programme, systems strengthening of the Social Cash Transfer programme, and national disaster management.
Service provision: WFP harnesses its expertise in buying, storing and distributing food to provide logistics support and services to the Government and other partners. We transport health equipment, food supplies and agricultural inputs. In addition, we provide storage facilities for food and non-food items.