“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” This situation is particularly pertinent with regards to Zimbabwe as I was listening to the morning news on radio. People are selling water for USD 25 as Zimbabwe has cut water supplies to capital Harare. Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) had failed to find chemicals to treat water in the wake of the deadly cholera epidemic.

Taps in most parts of Harare and the sister city Chitungwiza ran dry and people carrying containers searching for water were a common scene. Desperate times call for desperate measures, as local media reported people digging shallow wells in their yards in the hope of finding water. Bulawayo is also facing a serious water crisis after three of its five supply dams were decommissioned due to low water levels. Residents have resorted to using water from unprotected sources or buying water in order to beat the shortages.

Zimbabwe is in the throes of acute economic crises as the prices of daily commodities have sky rocketed to 50 US cents for a basic loaf of bread from 28 US cents, and more sophisticated varieties selling at 96 US cents to $1,23 per loaf. While Robert Mugabe’s government is embroiled in the controversial land reform exercise, people are struggling to meet the essential requirements of daily life. About 5 million people in Zimbabwe are facing starvation, two-thirds of the country’s children cannot attend school and there is no water.

And yet as severe food insecurity affects 40% of people in Southern Africa, a small country like Malawi has achieved high levels of food production.” Malawi’s agricultural sector boosted the country’s economic growth from 1% in 2003 to 8,5% in 2006.

Nearly 90% of the population in Malawi is involved in subsistence farming and the agricultural sector contributes 60% of the country’s total income.” Some of the radical solutions include direct and swift state intervention and reach to remote and small farmers and small food producers through subsidized transportation and storage, rural infrastructure creation and “de-linking from the global food system to achieve collective (regional) food production surpluses and protect the region from unequal world food pricing and dumping”.

More often than not the solution is in minimizing political interference in human welfare issues and enhancing regional investments in improving basic sanitation facilities, infrastructure, irrigation facilities and helping small holding farmers, who also hold the key as primary drivers of food production.