UNITED NATIONS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians said Friday that they are supporting the Zambian government-led response to a worsening humanitarian crisis caused by extreme weather conditions, economic hardship and a cholera outbreak.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it is working with the UN Team in Zambia to scale up the response over the next nine months. This plan will urgently require funding of 39 million U.S. dollars.

"UN agencies aim to provide emergency cash transfers to some 475,000 people facing high levels of food insecurity in more than a dozen districts in the country," OCHA said. "These households will also receive drought-tolerant crop varieties and other critical agricultural support meant to help farmers maintain their livelihoods and prevent hunger-filled migration."

The office said that more than 2 million people, 21 percent of Zambia's population, are estimated to face high food insecurity levels this year.

On Thursday, the Zambian government declared a state of national disaster and emergency to respond rapidly to the prolonged drought, which threatens national food security and electricity supply. Enditem

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