CONTEXT
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is experiencing an increasing trend of food insecurity that is compounded by recurrent climatic shocks, including the 2015/16 El Niño which was the worst drought in the last 35 years.
Since 2010, the number of food insecure people has remained above 22.7 million per year. The rate of malnutrition remains high, with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique and Zambia recording exceptionally high stunting rates of above 40 per cent.
Poverty remains one of the greatest challenges in the SADC region, with approximately half of the population living on less than $1 a day (International Council on Social Welfare). Most of the extremely poor are in rural areas, where they depend on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods.
Southern Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV in the world, with eight countries recording HIV prevalence of 10 percent and above (SADC Regional Vulnerability and Analysis Synthesis Report, 2017).