Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
THE country’s food security situation has registered notable improvements underpinned by good harvests, a stable local currency and several resilient intervention measures across the economic sectors, the United Nations World Food Programme has said.
In it’s Food Security and Markets Monitoring report for July 2025 that was made available last Friday, WFP said there was widespread availability of staple commodities in both rural and urban markets in Zimbabwe.
“Zimbabwe’s food security outlook showed notable improvement in July 2025, driven by an above-average harvest, stable local currency and several resilience interventions happening across the country. Field monitoring across districts revealed widespread availability of staple commodities in both rural and urban markets, with maize meal accessible in about 97 percent of locations and prices remaining stable or lower than last year,” reads the report.
“Livestock conditions also improved, supported by climate-smart breeding, vaccination campaigns and drought mitigation efforts.”
WFP noted that economic fundamentals were encouraging, with the Government managing to contain inflation.
“Economic indicators remained relatively steady, with the local currency maintaining value and inflation showing a moderate month-on-month increase. Remittances, cash crop sales and village business units continued to support household incomes, as observed in areas in different provinces,” said WFP.
It also recommended that more safety measures be extended to youths and women.
“Despite these gains, challenges persist for youth and women in accessing productive resources, underscoring the need for speeding up inclusive support and targeted interventions,” reads the report.
The report also noted that the Government has managed to maintain currency stability, although more efforts ought to be taken on the price of goods and services.
“Zimbabwe recorded a month-on-month inflation increase of 1.6 percent in local currency terms in July 2025, up from 0.3 percent in June. Annual inflation reached 95.8 percent, reflecting continued price pressures despite relative currency stability,” reads the report.
“Income-generating activities improved across districts, with record tobacco and cotton sales boosting household earnings across provinces. Village Business Units managed by women and youth also contributed to local incomes and employment.”
WFP also noted that food was available both in urban and rural areas. “Food commodities were widely available in both rural and urban markets. Maize meal was accessible in 97 percent of monitored markets, with rice, wheat, vegetable oil and sugar beans also consistently stocked. Food prices remained largely stable in both USD and ZiG terms, with maize meal, sugar beans and rice showing year-on-year decline,” reads the report.
WFP field monitoring teams across the country observed signs of recovery and transition, given subdued food availability in 2024 because of the El Niño-induced drought.
“The Government and its partners’ interventions — ranging from borehole drilling to the establishment of drought mitigation centres — have been instrumental in protecting the national cattle herd in the southern regions, for example,” reads the report.
It said the 2025 harvest has brought a wave of optimism, with most provinces showing improved food access due to good crop yields.
“A reduction in staple (maize meal) price was observed in most of the other rural and urban markets across both surplus and deficit-producing areas. This price drop has significantly improved food access for poor households across provinces,” reads the report.
WFP was also encouraged by crop yields and their sales, which helped improve the livelihoods of people.
“Cotton farmers in these areas also reported an increase in seed cotton sales. These cash crops have bolstered household incomes, enabling families to invest in education, health and small businesses,” said WFP.
It was noted that winter wheat farming was another area of progress, particularly in the Midlands and Mashonaland East provinces.
“Farmers are benefiting from prioritised electricity supply to irrigation clusters, rainwater harvesting training, and access to mechanisation. The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) and Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) are working closely with farmers to ensure uninterrupted irrigation,” reads the report.
