Zimbabwe is currently facing its worst food shortage in four years following a drought and poor harvest, according to ABC News.
The United Nations food agency reported Zimbabwe is facing "a looming food crisis" currently 2.2 million people, one in four of the population, is expected to be in need of emergency aid. The news comes one month after veteran President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF disputed re-election.
According to ABC News, the agencies are reportedly working with the government and other international aid organizations to provide food assistance. The program is set to help about a fifth of the country's 13 million people.
The U.N. World Food Program said food handouts are reported to begin in October until the next crop harvest in March of 2014.
"Hunger is on the rise in Zimbabwe with an estimated 2.2 million people - one in four of the rural population - expected to need food assistance during the pre-harvest period early next year," the U.N. said in a statement, according to Reuters Africa.
The rise in hunger is mostly in the southern districts. Mainly caused by bad weather, high seed and fertilizer costs and projections that food prices will climb because of the poor maize harvest, Reuters reported. There was a 15 percent rise in prices for the corn staple after poor harvests this year.
In years of political and economic turmoil, Zimbabwe has needed regular food handouts. About 1.4 million people in the population of 13 million received food aid last year. Zimbabweans have required some form of food assistance since early 2009, when more than half the population relied on such aid.
According to Reuters Africa, Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party, who was elected in July had promised food imports and said no Zimbabwean would die from hunger.
