Zimbabwe: El Niño and Its Impact On Zim's Food Security
This year's El Niño phenomenon, the strongest in recent decades, may have passed its severest phase, but changes in global weather will continue to wreak havoc on food production across Africa for months if not years to come.
The severe drought in the country and flash floods in other parts of the world triggered by this year's El Niño have had a devastating effect on food security throughout the world, leaving some 100 million people worldwide with food and water shortages.
Zimbabwe has declared a state of disaster as drought has caused general crop failure. According to reports, as many as 2,5 million people or more than a quarter of the population, are in need of food aid. Climate change is real and needs to be taken seriously by leaders across Africa and the world at large.
Researchers have suggested that harsh El Niño patterns, like the one experienced this year, could become more common as global warming increases ocean temperatures. In a study published in 2014 in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers concluded that the likelihood of a "super El Niño" doubles with climate change, from one roughly every 20 years to one every 10 years.
Ingrid Taylar