(Ecofin Agency) - The World Food Program found in a recent study that 45 million people, mostly women and children, are suffering from severe food insecurity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The situation in this 16-member economic zone is the result of repeated drought, major floods, and economic difficulties, the organization said. “This hunger crisis is on a scale we've not seen before and the evidence shows it's going to get worse,” said Lola Castro, WFP’s regional director for Southern Africa.

Countries with most dire conditions are Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. In response to the crisis, WFP called on the international community to accelerate both emergency assistance to people and long-term investment to “enable the region's vulnerable to withstand the worsening impacts of climate change.”

In southern Africa, maize production in 2020 is expected to be below the average of the last five years, according to the latest report from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).