Mashonaland Central 25 percent, and Mashonaland East 22 percent (Herald February 10,
2016).
Informal snap surveys by Zimbabwe Peace Project have shown that most families in the
rural areas are surviving on one meal a day, with many of them having to come up with
resourcefully desperate means to feed their families. For relish some families in various
areas are eating some types of grass, blackjack leaves, different type of tubers, wild roots
as well as sapping out the liquid of some wild fruits and cooking them.
Regular fruits such as mangoes and others that are commonly found are also making up,
not the dessert or snack, but the staple of many people in the rural areas in these drought
stricken times.
With many families finding they have to offload and sell their starving cattle, goats and
other livestock before they die of hunger, some people are finding cheap meat from these
beasts which are being sold off for a song.
Reports say cattle are being sold for as little as US$50 in several areas; with goats
fetching as little as US$10 or US$15.
In areas like Binga and others where fish are easier to get, this is being sold in exchange
for staples like maize.
While what families in the rural areas are able to find is too little compared to the needs
currently, from its snap survey of rural areas around the country, ZPP put together the
following as what an average family of six would need to survive.
ITEM
AVERAGE COST (US$)
1.
50kg of mealie meal
$23 - $25
2.
5 litres cooking oil
$7,50
3.
2kg salt
$1
4.
10kg sugar
$8 - $10
5.
3kgs matemba
$8
6.
2x packs matches
$1
7.
2 packs candles
$1.50
8.
3 bars Laundry soap
$3
9.
A scotch-cart of firewood
$25 (optional because some families do
not buy they gather from nearby farms)
TOTAL
$82 ($57 without buying firewood)
*Findings from an informal snap survey. Prices are based on loose averages.
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