Evaluates emergency U.S. food assistance in Zimbabwe during the 1991/92 drought in southern Africa. Although the drought led to almost total crop failure, disaster was averted. There were no deaths from famine and few from drought-related disease, and people did not have to leave home and thus were able to resume planting when the rains returned in late 1993. The success of the drought relief program is largely attributable to the commitment of the government and people of Zimbabwe and the prompt response of donors, most notably the World Food Program and USAID. USAID/Z was in the forefront in alerting A.I.D. and other donors to the severity of the drought and recognizing that regional transport logistics needed priority attention. Nevertheless, it was a full 12 months from the U.S. Ambassador”s declaration of disaster to the first free distribution of sorghum to vulnerable households. The United States contributed 672,475 MT of maize, i.e., 27% of all maize consumed during the drought emergency period (1/92-5/93) and was the largest bilateral contributor of non-food aid. USAID enlisted the help of the Africa Bureau”s Famine Early Warning Systems (FEWS) project to identify the most vulnerable populations, and also committed funds to allow leasing of South African locomotives and railwagons. Relief foods were distributed through existing government and parastatal systems, with some assistance from NGOs. Both public and private sectors made extraordinary contributions to logistics management to ensure that not only Zimbabwe”s food import needs were met, but also those of its neighbors. Thanks to monitoring by the national government, the private sector, and USAID, the U.S. contribution was delivered with a loss of less than 1.5%, and households in most rural areas received the food they needed to survive. Distribution of agricultural inputs packets (some of which originated in USAID”s sorghum and pearl millet seed production project) contributed to a significant recovery in agricultural output. Zimbabwe and the Southern Africa Development Community organizations located in Zimbabwe are committed to continuing the institutions and processes established during the drought and to benefitting from the lessons learned. Primary needs are for Zimbabwe to develop a national food security policy and a permanent drought preparedness planning capability.
