David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Programme, says Southern Africa has a lack of proper diet and this is not because of a lack of food but it’s more about lack of diverse diet.
Famine has been ongoing since last year in parts of Nigeria where the government is fighting a seven-year long Boko Haram insurgency.
The two-year drought has resulted in depleted food stocks largely due to poor or failed harvests across the SADC region.
Currently, about 14 million South Africans go to bed hungry every night according to government.
The region has been hard hit over the past year by an El Niño inspired drought that has wilted crops.
Senzeni Zokwana has met with several role players in the agriculture sector to discuss food security.
The plan is aimed at supporting households & subsistence farmers in drought-stricken regions.
Erratic rains, flooding and high temperatures have driven down maize production by 90% in some countries.
The World Health Organisation has found an estimated 200 diseases are caused by unsafe food.
Gwede Mantashe says graduates in the agriculture sector must gain experience on farms.
EWN's Africa Correspondent Jean-Jacques Cornish reports on the day's top African news.
The World Bank says it is ready to aid countries struggling with rising food costs.
Small grains are being promoted as a crop better equipped to handle adverse weather conditions.
