Food Security Framework Key Population Groups

Ethiopia Food Security Framework | Key Population Groups

 Even if it is this year’s percentage of population in need of assistance, Figure 1 is a typical food insecurity geographic demonstration of the country.  Pastoral population of Afar and Somali Region continue to be the most acutely food insecure in the country. These areas are the epicenters of recent recurrent droughts. The crop calendar in Figure 2 demonstrates the typical periods to watch.  A significant proportion of the population of the northeastern crop dependent highlands remains chronically food insecure. This stretches from belg dependent areas of South and Eastern Tigray Region, to eastern Amhara Region (South Wello, North Wello, North Shewa, and Oromiya zones), and into eastern SNNPR and eastern Oromiya Region (Figure 1). These groups have similar food security situations and their rainfall patterns are reflected under the crop dependent areas below.  People living along the river banks of major rivers of the country.

1 Underlying Factors

 Recurrent droughts, affecting the whole eastern half of the country. Even the most resilient communities in both eastern crop dependent highlands and pastoral communities find it difficult to cope with severe drought that extends to several seasons. These vulnerable communities are always constrained to feed their families for some part of the year, especially during the typical hunger period of June–August for crop dependent areas and the typical dry periods of June–October and January– April for the pastoral population.  Rapid population growth and environmental degradation, especially in the eastern half, drought prone, crop dependent areas. As population increases with subsistence farming, the existing fragmented small plots of land are no longer able to feed and accommodate and hence the existing food insecurity was further exacerbated.  Inappropriate government policies, especially in the area of land tenure, investment, market, continue to limit the options of communities.  Inadequate off-farm employment opportunities throughout the country.  Poverty, destitution, and asset depletion as a result of inadequate response to recurrent needs and poor targeting, focusing still on eastern half highland and pastoral areas.  Conflict, especially in pastoral areas is a serious impediment to pastoral livelihoods;  Poor and inadequate infrastructure, especially in the drought prone pastoral areas; poor access to education, clean water, and health facilities (according to the Human Development Index, the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio in 2004 was 36 percent, and the percentage of people without access to improved water sources was 78 percent); HIV/AIDS; chronic malnutrition (according to the Demographic and Health Survey of 2005, 47 percent of under five children in Ethiopia are stunted).  Gender inequality, an inequality observed predominantly in rural Ethiopia as men are expected to handle the income sources; this will continue to create poor intra household income distribution disfavoring women. In addition, girls-boys school enrollment ratio significantly favors men, creating imbalances on access to income opportunities. According to the Central Statistical Authority, Ethiopian women, on average, have 57 percent fewer years of schooling. Illiteracy rates for Ethiopian women hover at just over 70 percent for women nationally and are as high as 94 percent for women in the Afar region.  Large scale flooding is a recent phenomenon in Ethiopia. Last year (2006), flood occurred in different parts of the country, mainly along the major riverbanks and more than 600,000 people were affected with more than 600 deaths and a significant loss of property. Urban dwellers, farmers, and pastorals were affected by the flood. Although flooding may not be as frequent as the other hazards in Ethiopia, when it occurs its effect is damaging. The majority of the flooding last year occurred in July–August in the western, southern, and northeastern parts of the country, and in October– November in the southeast (Somali region).

2 Hazards

 Poor rainfall performances during the typical rainy seasons Belg/Gu/Genna (April– May), deyr season rains (October–December), and meher rainy season (June- September)  Floods and hailstorms  High level and escalating prices and volatile prices affecting all vulnerable populations in the east  External factors, such as volatility of world coffee prices, livestock import ban, fuel prices  Malaria, other health related hazards (including HIV/AIDS, meningitis, etc.)  Tribal conflicts occurring in northeastern Afar pastoral areas, Gambella, southern Oromiya, and Somali Regions  Delayed, insufficient, and interrupted responses both in the area of emergency and non-emergency humanitarian assistance

3 | Gaps in Knowledge

 Improperly utilized livelihood baseline information in the Somali Region, despite its availability. The effects of border closure, poor targeting, conflict, the deteriorating terms of trade disfavoring pastorals due to escalating cereal prices, are not properly analyzed and understood.  Monitoring information in the Somali Region unrelated to the baseline data collected. The effect of hazards on the livelihoods of the affected areas is therefore not properly understood.  Absence of rainfall rain gauge data and unreliability of satellite imagery in pastoral areas.  Absence of information regarding food security programs such as the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) implemented at the woreda level.  Absence of constant field presence, which creates a gap in food security knowledge in our regular food security monitoring and analysis.  Lack of proper market monitoring and lack of knowledge in understanding the markets and their effects on the vulnerable. Currently, for instance, despite a bumper harvest claim, prices continue to escalate throughout the year. This needs a thorough analysis in understanding markets. In addition, there are several food security interventions in the country; however, there is no clear evidence or ex-ante studies in evaluating their impacts on the market.  Divergent production estimates resulting in indecisions and also affecting the quality of decisions.  Absence of baseline information about the flood vulnerable population and the degree vulnerability and absence of a flood early warning and monitoring system.