ETHIOPIA Food Security Update June 2009 Ethiopia continues to face high levels of food Figure 1. Current food security conditions, June 2009 insecurity. A total of 7.5 million chronically food insecure people receive assistance through employment in public works under the Productive Safety‐Net Program (PSNP). An additional 4.9 million people require emergency food assistance through June 2009. In addition, about 200,000 people have been displaced in the southern parts of the country due to clan conflict and are receiving humanitarian assistance. However, the official size of the food insecure population will most likely increase following poor performance of the belg/gu season this year. Actual figures will be provided by the ongoing belg/gu assessment missions. Based on current needs, and not including possible increases due to the poor belg/gu season, there is Source: FEWS NET and WFP Ethiopia insufficient relief food in the country due to a For more information on FEWS NET’s Food Insecurity Severity Scale, please combination of resource shortfalls and a shortage of see: www.fews.net/FoodInsecurityScale trucks to transport food from the Djibouti port. Cereal prices have remained relatively stable since the beginning of 2009 and showed a slight decline in May contrary to the seasonal pattern. For example, the nominal retail price of white maize, the cereal most widely consumed by the poor was six percent lower than that of last month and 14 percent less than May 2008. Compared to the 2004‐2008 average however, it is 72 percent higher. These high prices will continue to constrain food access for households that spend a significant proportion of their income on food. Seasonal calendar and critical events Source: FEWS NET Ethiopia FEWS NET Ethiopia FEWS NET Washington P O Box 1014, Addis Ababa 1717 H St NW FEWS NET is a USAID-funded activity. The authors’ views expressed in Tel: 251-116-620217/18 Washington DC 20006 this publication do not necessarily reflect the view of the United States Fax: 251-116-620230 [email protected] Agency for International Development or the United States Government. [email protected] www.fews.net/ethiopia ETHIOPIA Food Security Update June 2009 Food security summary Ethiopia continues to face high levels of food insecurity. A total of 7.5 million chronically food insecure people receive either direct support or assistance through employment in public works under the Productive Safety‐Net Program (PSNP). An additional 4.9 million people require emergency food assistance through June 2009 according to official government estimates. In addition, about 200,000 people that were displaced in the southern parts of the country due to clan conflict between the Somali and Oromo are receiving humanitarian assistance. The belg seasonal assessment has begun in the belg‐crop producing parts of the country and in the pastoral region of Afar on the 8th of June. The seasonal assessment in the southern zones of Somali region and in the neighboring lowlands of Oromia began on the 20th of June. Given the poor performance of the belg/gu season, the official size of the food insecure population will most likely increase following these assessments. Based on current needs, and not including possible increases due to the poor belg/gu season, there is insufficient relief food in the country due to a combination of resource shortfalls and a shortage of trucks to transport food from the Djibouti port. This lack of relief food is occurring as the country’s main hunger season (June‐September) begins. Given these immediate needs, the length of time which would be required for imports, and issues with transport from Djibouti, there is an urgent need to provide emergency food assistance either through direct contribution by the government or through borrowing from the Emergency Food Security Reserve Administration (EFSRA) against confirmed pledges from donors. The absence of such assistance could lead to high and extreme levels of food insecurity across wide areas of the country. Areas in the northeastern highlands (i.e., some Figure 2. Belg grain production as a percentage of total grain woredas of North Wello, South Wello and North production (Belg crops defined as those harvested March-August) Shewa Zones) that are highly dependent on belg production (Figure 2) are reporting high and increasing levels of malnutrition following the failure of last year’s belg harvest and the poor performance of the belg season this year. Standard nutrition surveys are underway in some of these woredas, though results are not yet available. However, several OTP centers have been opened and rates of admission to these centers are increasing. In some southern belg producing areas, including woredas of Hadiya, KT, Wolayita and Sidama, the current belg season began late and its performance has been erratic, leading to a significant reduction in yield (Figure 2), the delaying harvest, and extending the hunger period by at least two months until the meher season harvest begins in August/September. The Government has opened Outreach Therapeutic Note: Belg rains are known as gu rains in southern Somali region and as gana rains in Programs (OTPs) in each health post in the affected Oromia Source: Livelihoods Integration Unit, DMFSS, MOARD, Govt. of Ethiopia, areas of SNNPR. These centers are providing RUTF Graphics: FEWS NET for uncomplicated cases of severe acute malnutrition among children under five. Complicated cases are referred to the nearby stabilization centers. Although children under five are receiving this assistance, anecdotal evidence suggests that the underlying conditions are worse than last year. In addition, resources are not available to support malnourished pregnant and lactating women and the insufficiency of current general ration distribution has led to high levels of readmission to OTPs. There is a continued need to provide general food aid rations until the delayed belg harvest begins in August/September. The number of people in need of continued assistance will be determined by the assessment missions currently in the field. The belg‐crop producing zones of Oromia region, including West Arsi, Arsi, Bale, East Hararghe, and West Hararghe zones, have also faced below average belg rains, and consequently, the belg‐crop performance is expected to be poor (Figure 4). Famine Early Warning Systems Network 2 ETHIOPIA Food Security Update June 2009 This follows a failed belg harvest and a poor meher (June to September) harvest last year. Normally, green harvests from the belg season would be consumed between June and September, mitigating the meher season hunger period. This year however, due to the poor performance of the belg season, food security is expected to deteriorate more than normal during this period. Currently, food security in these areas is poor with reports of high levels of acute malnutrition and high numbers of admissions to OTPs and SCs, though according the Emergency Nutrition Coordination Unit (ENCU), in some of the woredas (e.g., Kuni, Kersa, Midega, Jarso, Gursum, Chinaksen, Meyu and Golo Oda of East Hararghe Zone and Darolebu of West Hararghe zone) admissions have stabilized following interventions by different NGOs. Continued assistance both in terms of supplementary/therapeutic food as well as general ration distributions are required, especially during the hunger period between June and September, to prevent further deterioration of food security situation. There is also a need to provide appropriate types of seed for the coming meher season so that food security will improve following the meher harvest that begins in October. Following the poor performance of the recent sugum (March to May) rains, the pastoral region of Afar has now experienced three consecutive seasons of below average rainfall. Reports from the field indicate that shortages of pasture and water continue to be a serious problem. The satellite‐based rangeland Water Requirement Satisfaction Index (Figure 3) shows that conditions in most of the region are much below average. Livestock movement towards the Awash River, Awash National park, and neighboring regions of Tigray and Amhara has already been reported. Conflict over grazing land between the Afar and Oromo tribes was also reported in the Dire Harewa and Dire kebeles of Dewe Harewa woreda of Oromia zone in Amhara Region. Water trucking has continued in the chronically water deficit woredas of the region through sugum rainy season and into May. In addition to the poor performance consecutive past seasons in Afar region, the National Metrology Agency has forecast that the main rainy season, karma (July to September), will also be normal to below normal. There is a need to closely monitor the performance of the coming karma rains in order to provide any necessary assistance, both for the people of the region as well as for their livestock. Performance of the gu (April to June) rains in the southern zones of Somali region has been generally below average, though with significant variations depending on location. Performance of the rains was particularly poor in Warder, Gode, Afder, and parts of Liben zones according to Somali Regional State Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau’s Food Security Update of May 2009. Although the rains were generally below average, water points have been recharged sufficiently, except for the areas where the rains performed particularly poorly. In these areas, water shortages continue to be reported and some of these areas have requested for immediate water trucking. Unusual movement of livestock is reported in areas that did not receive sufficient rains during the season. Given that the region has faced repeated failure of seasonal rains, early and extensive movement of livestock in these parts of the region during the current rainy season is an indication that the coming dry season will be particularly difficult. Food security will continue to rely on external assistance, which will be required throughout most of Somali Region for the foreseeable future.