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FEWS Net has released a special report with a series of maps illustrating the extent and severity of the ongoing drought in southern Africa. The drought, driven by the 2015-16 El Niño cycle, has limited crop production throughout the region, worsening food insecurity during the lean season and making it likely that food insecurity will continue throughout the remainder of the year.

South Africa is in the throes of the worst drought in 30 years, according to a recent BBC article . Driven by the on-going El Niño cycle , below average rainfall and above average temperatures have limited crop development and water availability throughout the region.

According to a recent FEWS.net alert, Mozambique is currently facing severe drought and food insecurity through much of the country as a result of El Niño-driven weather patterns.Weather forecasts predict that El Niño conditions will continue to cause below average rainfall in southern and parts of central Mozambique for the remainder of the season; the northern part of the country will likely see average to above average precipitation.

In 1961, annual milled rice production in Africa south of the Sahara was 2.8 million tons; this number reached an estimated 16.6 million tons in 2011. [1] Despite this increase, however, demand for rice in the region has outpaced local production, leading SSA to import more rice; according to a journal article in Agriculture and Food Security , the share of imports in SSA’s overall rice consumption reached 43 percent in 2009. This trend has caused policymakers and experts throughout the region to attempt to strengthen the domestic rice sector.

Reducing stunting and wasting in children under five years of age and improving children’s micronutrient status have become widely recognized as important development goals. Undernutrition in the first few years of life can have significant long-term effects, including fewer years of schooling, lower cognitive skills, and even lower income in adulthood.