By Angela Moonga
Country Director and Deputy Country Director Induction Programme 2026
Zambia has not been included among the 22 countries on a pre-emptive United Nations joint appeal action seeking US$202 million to protect nearly 9 million people from the potential impact of El Nino.
According to a press statement via the UN agencies, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have launched their first-ever Joint Anticipatory Action Appeal, seeking $202 million to protect nearly nine million people from the potential impact of a strong El Niño weather pattern across 22 high-risk priority countries.
The appeal calls for urgent, flexible funding ahead of anticipated climate shocks that could threaten food security, livelihoods and agricultural production across the world’s most vulnerable regions through this year and next.
El Niño is forecasted to strengthen during the period covered by the outlook, leading to drier-than-average conditions in some areas and wetter, flood-risk conditions in others. This can disrupt planting, growing seasons, harvests, pasture, and water availability.
Strong El Niño conditions in the second half of 2026 are predicted to increase the likelihood of drought, floods and storms across parts of Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
The forecast comes at a time when millions of people are already facing acute food insecurity driven by conflict, economic instability, displacement, recurrent weather-related shocks, and economic disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
FAO and WFP are already positioned to provide anticipatory action for 1.2 million people projected to be affected by El Niño.
With an additional investment of $167 million, the two agencies are positioned to rapidly expand support to a further 7.6 million people across 22 priority countries, bringing the total coverage to 8.8 million people.
“We cannot afford the fallout of another food crisis,” said Carl Skau, WFP Acting Executive Director. “With El Niño on the horizon, we have a narrow window to act so families are not forced into impossible choices later. We now have the tools to anticipate these events, what matters is how we act with that knowledge. Early action keeps food on the table and protects those at most risk. With the right resources, we can act faster, reduce costs, and reach people before the crisis escalates.”
The UN stated that the funding would support a package of proven anticipatory actions tailored to individual local contexts, which included cash assistance, the distribution of drought-tolerant and/or flood-resistant seeds, livestock protection measures, water harvesting and storage systems, flood protection infrastructure, agricultural advisories and the dissemination of early warning information.
Of the 22 priority countries, 12 are in Africa, and include Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
In the Asia and the Pacific: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Philippines and Timor-Leste.
And in Latin America and the Caribbean: Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela.
The UN stated that during the 2023–2024 El Niño event, FAO and WFP supported more than three million people through anticipatory action, delivering assistance months before peak impacts occurred. Capacity has since expanded, but overall coverage remains well below identified needs, highlighting the importance of scaling up financing and preparedness ahead of the 2026 event.
Zambia has indicated that it is likely to be experience the effects of El Nino.
Speaking in Lusaka two days ago, Ministry of Green Economy and Environment permanent secretary Doubty Chibamba said Zambia had begun preparation measures for the anticipated 2026/27 EL Nino event expected to start later this year, adding that the cost of early preparation is always far lower than the cost of late response.
Chibamba warned that current forecasts from global producing centres suggest the possibility of another el nino event developing during the later parts of this year while uncertainty remains regarding its magnitude and localised impacts.
Speaking at the official opening of the 21 Africa continental climate outlook forum (ACCF-21), Chibamba said government has placed climate resilience and adaptation at the centre of the national development agenda.
Chibamba said that government was investing in the expansion and modernisation of weather and climate observation infrastructure across the country, to improve forecasting accuracy, strengthen early warning systems and enhance climate monitoring.
Chibamba said government recognises that over 70 percent of Zambia’s population depends directly or indirectly on rain fed agriculture, and it will continue to promote climate resilient agricultural practices .
He added that Government will also strengthen irrigation development as a key adaptation measure.
The permanent secretary also said expanding irrigation infrastructure will reduce vulnerability to rainfall variability and improve food security in the face of increasing climate uncertainty.
