World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

In Zimbabwe, food production has been devastated by economic and political crises as well as by natural disasters. Unprecedented hyper-inflation between 2001 and 2009 and subsequent economic collapse resulted in many public services virtually grinding to a halt. The commercial supply chain and retail marketing systems were severely disrupted, causing chronic shortages of food and agricultural commodities. Along with these factors, recurrent drought and a series of very poor harvests,  high unemployment (estimated at  more than 80%) and a high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate (13.7%) have all contributed to increasing levels of vulnerability and acute food insecurity in recent years. This situation has necessitated large-scale humanitarian food assistance operations in the country.