11. Early Warning of Food Security Crises in Urban Areas: The Case of Harare, Zimbabwe, 2007

In 2007, the citizens of Harare, Zimbabwe began experiencing an intense food security crisis. Due to a complex mix of poor government policies, high inflation rates and production declines due to drought, the crisis produced a massive increase in the number of food-insecure people in the capital city. The international humanitarian aid response to this crisis was largely successful due to early agreement among donors and humanitarian aid officials as to the size and nature of the problem. This paper summarizes an analysis of MODIS NDVI which provided highly accurate estimates of corn production in Zimbabwe in 2007. The estimates enabled an early and decisive movement of resources, supporting the timely delivery of food aid to food insecure residents in Harare. Remote sensing data provided a clear and compelling assessment of significant crop production shortfalls, which gave donors of humanitarian assistance a single number around which they could come to agreement. This use of satellite data typifies how remote sensing may be used in early warning systems to identify food security crises in Africa.