FAMINE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM NETWORK MAURITANIA A USAID project managed by Chemonics International Inc. TEL: (222) 525 39 10 FAX: (222) 525 39 18 E-mail: [email protected] MONTHLY REPORT FOR JUNE 2003 This report covers the period from May 30 to June 30, 2003 Summary The start-up of the 2003 relief program in early June helped solidify the effects of the 2002 program, which prevented the food crisis affecting Aftout, central Hodh El Gharbi and Hodh El Chargui and parts of the Senegal River Valley from growing into a full-fledged famine. However, the situation of many households in these areas bypassed by this program is still alarming, with their very survival dependent on help from migrating family members and assistance from those fortunate enough to receive emergency aid. All current coping and survival strategies basically revolve around the relief program and remittances (of food and cash) from migrating family members. Traditional local survival strategies (selling small animals and jewelry, borrowing, eating wild plant foods, skipping meals, etc.) have been stretched beyond their limits, with many households having nothing left to sell or mortgage. It is crucial to begin thinking about programs designed to help rebuild this family capital since, even if things should manage to get back to normal, it is unlikely that these destitute households will be able to make it through yearly structural deficit periods or to contain an extended crisis Despite the inadequate volumes of aid distributed and the fact that subsidized sales programs are not always in line with household purchasing power, targeted families appear to be satisfied with the way in which the aid is being dispensed by local NGOs (LWF, ACORD, OXFAM, WORLD VISION) on behalf of the World Food Program (WFP). According to the Food Security Commission (CSA), the European Union has pledged 18,000 MT of aid, which is scheduled to be distributed to households in selected communes in the north, Guidimakha, Tagant, Assaba and Hodh El Chargui and Hodh El Gharbi, where food security conditions have sharply deteriorated since March of this year. Pastoralists in the southeast are not reassured by the first useful rainfall in that part of the country, stepping up animal sales in an attempt to prevent subsequent losses. A comparison with last year and with the average for 1990-99 shows an improvement in rainfall conditions over last year, with only a few exceptions (Kobonni, Kankossa, Maghama, M’Bout, Selibaby and Gouraye). There has been a substantial improvement in coarse grain supplies with imports of maize from Senegal and of Malian sorghum and millet released by farmers and grain traders in that country, following the more or less normal start of this year’s rainy season. As a result, sorghum prices are down by 10 to 20 UM/ kg on markets in border areas (Kaëdi, Sélibaby, Modibougou and Adel Bagrou). Prices for food products sold commercially (with the exception of wheat) continue to rise despite ongoing relief programs, shooting up sharply after the failed coup d’état. Prices for livestock are also climbing. The outlook for this year’s rainy season could account for the decision by pastoralists to curtail sales and raise prices. Many extremely food-insecure households in the outskirts of seats of local government in rural areas and in urban slum areas of Nouakchott, Nouadhibou and Zouerate have still not benefited from any sort of assistance program. I. NATURAL CONDITIONS AND PRODUCTION FACTORS I A. Rainfall With the rainy season already well underway (Table I) throughout the south (with the exception of southwestern Brakna and southern Trarza which, while no longer considered rainfed farming areas, are still important livestock-raising areas), dry-farmed crops planted in depression areas in Amourj, Djiguenni and Touil departments are beginning to sprout. Table I: Comparison of rainfall totals for June Source of data: AGRHYMET/Mauritania Tabulated by FEWS NET/Mauritania Region Department Station Type of area Total as Compared Compared of with with 6/30/03 6/30/02 average for 1990-99 HODH EL AMOURJ Amourj Agropastoral area 46.9 +30.6 +20.3 CHARGUI BASSIKOUNOU Bassikounou Agropastoral area 56 + 56 + 27.4 TIMBEDRA Timbédra Agropastoral area 20.5 + 5.1 +1.7 HODH EL TAMCHAKETT Tamchakett Farming area 14.5 +14.5 +4.6 GHARBI (lowland crops) KOBENNI Kobenni Farming area 5.3 -3 NA TINTANE Touil Farming area 9.6 +1.1 -26.5 ASSABA KANKOSSA Kankossa Agropastoral area 19.1 -10.7 -6.5 BARKEOL Barkéol Farming area 30.2 +16.6 +21.2 BOUMDEID Boumdeïd Farming area 13.7 +13.7 +8.4 (lowland crops) GORGOL MAGHAMA Maghama Farming area 11.2 -55.4 -5.5 MONGUEL Monguel Farming area 39.5 +35.5 +30.1 M’BOUT M’Bout Farming area 15.5 - 9 -0.4 KAEDI Kaëdi Farming area 63.2 +53.4 +53.7 BRAKNA M’BAGHE M’Bagne Farming area 19.3 +19.3 +6.6 BOGHE Bogué Farming area 16.3 +16.3 +5.6 MAGTA-LAHJAR Magta-Lahjar Farming area 27 +25.5 +21.9 TRARZA BOUTILIMIT Boutilimit Livestock-raising area 0 0 -2 MEDERDRA Mederdra Livestock-raising area 0 0 -5.3 ROSSO Rosso Farming area 0 0 -5.3 (irrigated crops) TAGANT TIDJIKJA Tidjikja Livestock-raising area 8.2 +8.2 +4.7 MOUDJERIA Moudjéria Farming area 53 +53 +48 GUIDMAKHA SELIBABY Sélibaby Farming area 19.9 -56.5 -42.3 SELIBABY Gouraye Farming area 30.0 -56.3 -12.2 OULD YENGE Ould Yengé Farming area 0 0 NA A comparison with 2002 and the average for 1990-99 already shows rainfall surpluses at a number of rain gauging stations as of June 30, with stations in the southeast (Fassala-Néré, Bassikounou, Amourj, Adel Bagrou, Bousteïla) reporting the highest ten-day rainfall totals. Rainfall amounts for the third dekad of June were high enough for farmers to begin planting early maturing wet crops in Bababé department in Brakna, Kaëdi and Monguel departments in Gorgol and throughout southern Hodh El Chargui and Guidimakha. I B. Conditions in livestock-raising areas The condition of pasturelands is more or less the same as in May. Though rainfall in the country’s southeastern departments and in southwestern Aftout has helped improve livestock watering conditions in these areas, pastoralists in many livestock-raising regions are still having an extremely hard time watering their animals. There is still no fresh pasture. The only pockets of pasture in all of central and southern Mauritania are limited to forage crops (irrigated rice plant regrowth and the sowing of new forage crops) developed as part of relief program activities in village irrigation schemes in the river valley area. Pasturelands in northeastern Tagant (Tichitt department) and northern Hodh El Chargui abandoned by Mauritanian pastoralists for lack of water have been taken over by Sahrawi pastoralists, who have developed their own water and food supply logistics, with positive spin- off effects for the local population. I C. Crop production factors by type of farming system Yields from hot off-season irrigated crops in Trarza and Brakna were meager due to heavy pressure from grain-eating birds and other animals on the small areas planted in such crops. The development of forage crops as part of the government relief program for 2003 is having a positive effect on local small animal herds, but the size of the areas planted in such crops is too small to have any real impact on livestock-raising activities at regional or national levels. Despite all the interest in promoting irrigation, irrigated crop production, which has been steadily declining for the past two years, could lose even more ground, owing to the obsolescence of irrigation works and equipment (motorized pumps), the overindebtedness of corresponding farmers and the overlapping planting schedules. Even with the first useful rainfall of the season, farmers continue to stream into Nouakchott from crop production zones. While it is still very premature to draw any conclusions with respect to the permanent abandonment of their farms by large numbers of farmers growing rainfed (dieri) crops who, thus far, have been unable to find permanent employment in urban production systems, seasonal migrants working in the city do not appear to show the same enthusiasm about returning to their land as they have in the past, at this time of year. As a result, there could be a shortage of agricultural workers in farming areas of the country. In areas where there is still a good size prospective workforce, farmers are having problems procuring seeds and pesticides to protect their crops from stalk borers which, along with the sporadic rainfall in such areas, are giving local farmers a good reason to give up farming altogether. In the words of a farmer in Aftout interviewed by the members of the joint OFDA/FFP/FEWSNET/CILSS assessment mission, “what’s the use of knocking ourselves out when, year after year, our crops are destroyed by stalk borers?” The repairing of old dams and the building of new dams could help expand the size of lowland areas planted in crops. The size of areas planted in flood-recession (walo) crops is largely contingent on rainfall conditions in the upper river basin and the effectiveness of the Manantalli water release program. The success of both types of farming systems requires resolving the three-fold problem of seed shortages, straying animals and, worst of all, stalk borers. I D. Assessment of conditions in agropastoral areas In addition to pasture access problems, both farmers and pastoralists are having a hard time meeting their daily needs for drinking water. Conditions on the livestock market have changed since May, with prices for small livestock animals starting to bounce back up.