由于干旱和歉收，津巴布韦面临四年来最严重的粮食短缺, 联合国世界粮食计划署9月3日表示. 津巴布韦的饥饿人数正在增加，估计 2.2 百万人 – 四分之一的农村人口 – 预计明年初收获前期间需要粮食援助.

最近的粮食短缺是由于恶劣天气造成的, 种子和化肥成本高昂，预计粮食价格将因玉米歉收而攀升. The agency said it was working with the government and other international aid organizations to provide food assistance to about a fifth of Zimbabwe’s 13 million people from October until the next crop harvest in March/April 2014.

Zimbabwe used to be a major agricultural producer and economic power, and boasted the name of “bread basket of Africa”. 然而, food shortage happened frequently since 2001 due to long-running drought, grain output reduction, high unemployment rate, agricultural re-structuring, high AIDS infection rate, ETC. WFP said in early 2009 that, about half the population needed assistance. Although the end of “hyper inflation” had taken a favorable turn for the economy, yet, the under investment and high rural unemployment rate didn’t take a good turn; no foreign investment is made in Zimbabwe agriculture.