The Research made use of mostly secondary data sourced from Food and Agricultural

Organization (FAO) and other past survey works that have been carried out on similar topics.
The key food security indicators such as prevalence of undernourishment, food inadequacy and
numbers of undernourished people in Zimbabwe were used in the findings.

a) Food insecurity is defined as limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and

safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable
ways.It exists when people lack sustainable physical or economic access to enough safe,
nutritious and socially acceptable food for a healthy and productive life.

b) Types of family mostly affected by the problem of food Insecurity

-Child headed family

- Grandparent Family.

-Single mother families

C) Causes of food insecurity

Human causes

-Political Instability.

Incompetence in government bureaucracy and corruption may lead to food instability. Good
governance is strengthened by strong democratic institutions that elevate transparency and
accountability, and that’s why food security levels and economic growth increase. For instance,
the prohibition of corruption, strong democratic accountability, law, and order, government
stability, play an important role in reducing food insecurity. The level of food security may
decrease due to high political risk and weak institutions.

-Urbanisation

Like other countries of the world, increasing rural-urban migration due to urbanisation play key
roles in the emerging food insecurity in Zimbabwe. Rich arable agricultural land is turned into
residential  and industrial areas. The area for agriculture is diminishing. By this, the agricultural
production will be disrupted thereby increasing the food iinsecurity

-Population Growth

This is another factor responsible for food insecurity in Zimbabwe. Increse in population has
increased the demand for food products just like other countries of the world. With this  glaring
increase  in the  population, there  is no  commensurable increase  in the  agricultural
production. 

-Poor Agricultural Sector Development

This is another problem that poses great threat to food security in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe does
not have sustainable Agricultural policy that will enhance food security in the long run. The
Ministry of Agriculture has inconsistencies in policies that could have placed the country on a
stable track that could have ensured that there is uninterrupted food supply. It engages in 
different  agricultural  policies  that  also have  led  to cancellation of the existing ones even
when the extant ones proved prosperous and sustainable.

-The trade embargo imposed by the Western countries

The issue of Sanctions interfere with markets, create standards that inhibit trade and remove
price signals to farmers. Export restrictions and trading bans isolate local markets and give
farmers little incentive to expand production for the next season, limiting the potential supply
response to soaring prices. This expose the country to food insecurity.

-Lack of access to good, affordable health care.

High insurance, high health care costs, medical bills, transport to and from hospitals and clinics,
and medication costs might put a sizable dent in food budget. This, in turn, could make food
insecurity worse.

- Poverty

Some form of money or trade is required to get the food one needs. Being impoverished means
there is little money to spare for food. Poverty can mean a person or community is unable to
buy all the food they need at all, or not enough variety to provide nutritional needs. Even if
someone can pay for all the food they need now, if food prices rise, they might find themselves
suddenly unable to pay for the same amount of food. In this sense, a person is also food
insecure since their poor financial situation leaves them teetering between meeting their
nutritional needs or not.

-Gender inequality

If women farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of food insecured
families in the world could be reduced. Female farmers are responsible for growing, harvesting,
preparing, and selling the majority of food in poor countries. Women are on the frontlines of the
fight against hunger, yet they are frequently under-represented at the forums where important
decisions on policy and resources are made.

-Poor harness of Agricultural technology

Technologies used in achieving food security should ensure high quality food products. Low
food quality exposes the population to poor nutrition and food safety issues, which in turn
create a burden on the society, affecting overall socio-economic well-being. In Zimbabwe, new
Agricultural technologies are not fully used.

Natural causes of food Insecurity

-Climate Change

Climate Change is another reason why there is food shortage in Zimbabwe. It has changed the
productivity pattern. The rain and water is less predictable now than before. The rain comes
either too late or too early or for a shorter period. Farmers are confused and do not know when
to cultivate their grains and other vegetables. Some years, the rain comes to early that farmers
plant the grains, the rain stops and the grains rot under the ground. 

-Natural Disasters

Drought, floods, typhoons, cyclones and other natural disaster type such as Insect infestation
(army worm) can wipe out an entire harvest or destroy crops. This is devastating most
especially to rural communities and families, who generally rely on such harvests and staple
small-scale farming for their daily food.

d) Solution to the problems of food insecurity