COVID-19 Rapid Food Security Vulnerability Impact Assessment Report - Conducted in Lusaka and Kafue Districts
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to disrupt the livelihoods of thousands of vulnerable families in Zambia. This has the potential to reinforce poverty and deepen food and nutrition insecurity. Furthermore, economic disruptions that have slowed down investments, resulted in high unemployment and declined remittances. Resultant adverse effects on some macroeconomic fundamentals, such as the exchange rate and fiscal expenditure allocations, may have a pass-through effect on slowing down economic activity. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the economic impact of COVID-19 will likely result in negative 2.6 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2020 from the earlier 3.6 percent projected growth. The Government has articulated strategies to respond to the emergency in its National COVID-19 Multi sectoral Contingency and Response Plan. To guide targeting and implementation of a cash-based intervention for COVID-19 vulnerable households and individuals in peri-urban and urban areas, a context description assessment was commissioned in Lusaka and Kafue districts.
