1.2 million citizens at risk of food shortage – Govt

Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa has issued a stark warning that approximately 1.2 million citizens across Zambia face severe food insecurity risks from October through March 2027. Delivering the keynote address at the official launch of the 2026-2027 Zambia Rainfall Forecast, Mr. Kangwa highlighted a sharp 72 percent increase in vulnerability compared to previous baseline figures, pushing the number of citizens struggling to secure consistent meals to new heights. The announcement underscores the compounding pressures of erratic weather conditions, prolonged dry spells, and climate change shocks affecting agricultural productivity nationwide. Addressing stakeholders, Mr. Kangwa emphasized that the heightened risk is heavily tied to meteorological projections indicating a more than 90 percent chance of an El Niño cycle developing, which threatens to intensify into a severe 'Super El Niño' lasting well into early 2027. This phenomenon poses a direct threat to the upcoming farming season, raising alarms among agricultural experts, humanitarian agencies, and rural communities who rely heavily on predictable rainfall patterns for staple crop cultivation, particularly maize. Beyond immediate agricultural and food security concerns, the government has called for heightened vigilance across energy and water utility sectors. Mr. Kangwa directed relevant institutions to continuously monitor national dam water levels to optimize power generation while mitigating the harsh impacts of potential load shedding. With hydro-generation remaining the backbone of Zambia's energy matrix, diminished rainfall directly correlates with constrained electricity supply, compounding economic hardships for both urban and rural households. Civil society and agricultural think-tanks have reiterated calls for proactive intervention, urging the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to scale up preparedness measures. Recommendations include prepos