Southern Africa continues to face climate-related challenges that place its agricultural sector and food supply at risk. The midsummer drought of 2024 has devastated the regional maize supplies, a staple food crop for the region. So far, the focus has been on the losses farmers are experiencing, but soon, consumer pressures will arise.

Listen to this article 6 min Listen to this article 6 min At the end of February, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema declared a disaster after realising the country had lost more than half of its maize harvest because of the drought. Zambia's maize production in the 2023-24 season is down by more than 50% to an estimated harvest of 1.6 million tonnes. The country now has to import a record volume of 1 million tonnes to satisfy the domestic maize needs of 2.8 million tonnes.

Zimbabwe faces a similar challenge, with its maize harvest down by roughly 60% from the 2022-23 production season to an estimated 635,000 tonnes. This is the lowest harvest since the 2015-16 production season, another drought year. Moreover, the drought is not the only reason for the fall in Zimbabwe's maize harvest; although a significant factor, the decline in fertiliser usage has also contributed to poor yields. The fertiliser prices, while down from the previous year, are well above the pre-Covid-19 levels, thus adding financial strain on poor smallholder farmers, the majority of producers in Zimbabwe. Fertiliser makes up roughly a third of the grain farmers' input costs.

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