Mozambique faces hunger crisis as floods destroy farms and drive up food prices

Severe floods have left southern Mozambique without crops, livestock or water, and families now confront soaring food costs.

Floodwaters that swept Mozambique from late December 2025 into early 2026 devastated large swaths of the south, destroying wells, irrigation, livestock and home gardens. The FAO reports that around 275,405 hectares of cropland were hit, endangering the livelihoods of roughly 314,783 farmers across Gaza, Maputo, Inhambane, Sofala and Zambezia. With fields ruined and roads blocked, the World Food Programme notes that food stocks have vanished and many markets are non-functional, pushing basic staple prices upward.

Local trader Shuwa Anolis says transport disruptions forced a 10 % markup on items such as rice and chicken, while WFP spokesperson Ana Mato Hombre attributes most price pressure to the loss of production. Residents like 50-year-old Joacim Pinto now rely on cash to buy food instead of their own harvests, confronting hunger after surviving the flood. Climate specialist Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi warns that back-to-back disasters—first a severe drought then floods—are shrinking recovery windows and threatening food security across Southern Africa.