Japan has donated about $1.3 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support 32,000 food-insecure Zimbabweans expected during the peak of the 2025/26 lean season, often marked by acute hunger and depleted household food stocks.
Japanese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Shinichi Yamanaka said he was confident that that the support would allow affected Zimbabweans to meet their food security needs until the next harvested around April 2026.
“I hope that this food assistance will help these vulnerable people to overcome the lean season,” Yamanaka said on Thursday.
The funding is expected to enable WFP to deliver cereals, pulses and vegetable oil to vulnerable communities between January and March 2026 when food availability typically reaches its lowest point.
WFP Zimbabwe country director Barbara Clemens said Japan’s support comes at a crucial time when UN agency has embarked on a Lean Season Assistance response under which it supports communities in the most food-insecure districts.
“Thanks to this support from the Government of Japan, many families will not worry about their next meal when hunger is at its worst,” Clemens said.
Japan’s support to Zimbabwe through WFP now totals US$15.8 million since 2015.
The 2024/25 agricultural season began slowly, with the Zimbabwe government targeting 3.3 million metric tonnes of cereal production to meet national needs.
However, financial constraints delayed input distribution, especially for small-scale farmers who produce 70 percent of the country’s maize.
JN/APA