CRS-22 African leaders.97 Certain senior members of ZANU-PF are reportedly amenable to negotiating a power-sharing arrangement with the MDC. According to reports, initial discussions have already occurred, but have encountered stiff resistance from senior security officials (see Accountability below). Details regarding possible immunity deals, the compliance of the security forces with any such deal, and a timetable for future elections will not be easy. If talks progress, though, the United States may have to determine whether to lift of some of its targeted sanctions on select ZANUPF members who may be invited to join a coalition government. In addition to supporting mediation efforts, the international community is also debating whether to implement, or tighten, sanctions. There have also been calls for members of the Mugabe government to be referred to international justice regimes. Other options, including a possible AU suspension of the Mugabe-led government, have been discussed above (see African Union). Humanitarian Assistance. The food security situation in Zimbabwe remains critical, with an estimated 4 million people in need of food assistance in 2008. That number is expected to rise to 5 million in 2009. Several Southern African countries have suffered from chronic food insecurity in recent years, stemming from a combination of weather-related and man-made factors, including prolonged drought, floods, poor economic performance, and the impact of HIV/AIDS. Although drought is partly to blame for Zimbabwe’s food shortages, analysts believe that disruptions to the farming sector resulting from Mugabe’s land seizure program are the main reason for reduced food production.98 Nearly all of the country’s 4,500 commercial farms have now been taken by the government and redistributed or divided. The government’s land redistribution program is reportedly plagued by inefficiencies, with large portions of redistributed land not being actively farmed. Tractors and other inputs to production are in short supply. Thousands of experienced farm workers were reportedly forced to flee seized commercial farms, and many of those who now hold farmland have no agricultural expertise. The displacement of farm workers and vandalism that has followed the March elections also contributes to food insecurity. The 2008 maize harvest has been severely affected by a combination of flooding followed by extreme dry weather. The crop production deficit in much of the country is estimated at 75 to 100 percent. Global food needs have increased dramatically since the beginning of the 2008, primarily due to rising commodity and fuel prices, and the competition for international resources may severely affect the international community’s ability to address food insecurity in Zimbabwe. In May 2008, the World Food Program reported a shortfall of $272.7 million in its required resources for the country’s feeding program from 2008 to 2010. Of the $46.3 million already received from international donors, over half, $26 million, has been provided by the United States. 97 Stephen Morrison and Mark Bellamy, “The Close of the Mugabe Era,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, April 29, 2008. 98 On the land takeovers in Zimbabwe, see AI, Zimbabwe: Power and Hunger — Violations of the Right to Food, October 15, 2004.