ETHIOPIA Food Security Update February 2010 • According to the Joint Government and Humanitarian Figure 1. Current estimated food security conditions, Partners’ Humanitarian Requirement Document, February 2010 released on 2 February 2010, an estimated 5.23 million people will require emergency food assistance through December 2010. This equates to a net food requirement of 290,271 MT, estimated to cost around USD 231.3 million. • Performance of the kiremt rains (June to September) was below normal, particularly in Gambella, the eastern half of the country and southern lowlands of SNNPR. As a result, main season meher crop harvests were poor in these areas and heightened food insecurity is anticipated between April and September. • The National Metrology Agency (NMA) predicts that performance of the gu/ganna/belg/sugum 2010 rains (March‐June) will be normal to above normal throughout the country except in the south and southeastern pastoral areas where rains are expected to be normal to below normal. Source: FEWS NET and WFP Ethiopia For more information on FEWS NET’s Food Insecurity Severity Scale, please • Several woredas in the eastern parts of Amhara, see: www.fews.net/FoodInsecurity Scale Tigray, Afar, Oromia and Somali regions are facing water shortages at the start of the dry season following the poor kiremt rains. Seasonal calendar and critical events timeline Source: FEWS NET FEWS NET Ethiopia FEWS NET Washington FEWS NET is a USAID-funded activity. The authors’ views expressed in this Addis Ababa 1717 H St NW publication do not necessarily reflect the view of the United States Agency Tel: +251 11 662 02 17/18 Washington DC 20006 for International Development or the United States Government. [email protected] [email protected] www.fews.net/ethiopia ETHIOPIA Food Security Update February 2010 Food security overview According to the Joint Government and Humanitarian Partners’ Humanitarian Requirement Document, released on 2 February 2010, an estimated 5.23 million people will require emergency food assistance through December 2010. This equates to a net food requirement of 290,271 MT, estimated to cost around USD 231.3 million. The document also estimates non‐food needs that include water and sanitation, health and nutrition, agriculture and livestock, and education at USD 63.4 million (Table 1). Table 1: Summary of Humanitarian Requirements (in USD) - 2010 Total Available Net Sector Requirement Resources Requirement General Ration: Gross: 642,983MT (503,013MT cereals; 52,882MT blended food; 66,404MT 489,310,063 301,517,332 187,792,731 pulses; 20,684MT oil) Net: 246,771 MT Supplementary (EOS/TSF) Food: Gross: 53,000 53,000,000 9,500,000 43,500,000 MT Net; 43,500MT Food sub-total 542,310,063 311,017,332 231,292,731 Health and Nutrition 32,037,209 1,000,000 31,037,209 Water and Sanitation 16,759,837 7,368,069 9,392,143 Agriculture and livestock 10,606,074 - 10,606,074 Education 4,041,501 - 4,041,501 Non-food sub-total 63,444,621 8,368,069 55,076,927 GRAND TOTAL 606,461,447 319,938,401 286,369,658 Source: Humanitarian Requirement Document 2010 Joint Government and partners’ document, January 2010 Western parts of the country are generally food secure following good meher crop production, with the exception of Gambella Region, where the poor performance of the 2009 Belg and Kiremt rains have left many of the woredas highly food insecure. Food security continues to be poor in the eastern meher crop producing parts of the country following the poor meher (October to January) production. Food security is rapidly deteriorating in the lowlands of East and West Harerghe, Arsi and Bale zones of Oromia Region. Migration of several households has occurred from Miesso and Midhega Tolla woredas to other zones of the region, particularly to Kellem Wellega in the west due to acute food insecurity. According to official sources, about 2,352 people in Miesso left their homes during the last quarter of 2009 in search of food. The numbers could be higher if unregistered migrants are included. Cases of malnutrition are reported in several woredas of East and West Harerghe, parts of Bale and West Arsi zones. Sporadic cases of acute malnutrition are also reported in the four woredas of Kellem Wellega zone where migrants from the Harerghe zones are located in large numbers. A similar situation is reported in Sekota woreda of Wag Hamra zone in Amhara region with reports that hundreds of households are outmigrating. Serious food shortages are also reported from East Belessa woredas of North Gondar zone in Amhara Region. Lowland woredas of Eastern and Southern Zones of Tigray Region have also faced poor performance of meher crops resulting in high levels of food insecurity. Widespread shortages of water are reported in the lowland areas of the eastern meher producing parts of the country where most of the ponds have little or no water. The shortages are very serious, particularly in Babile, Gursum, Midhega Tola, Fedis, Kurfa Chelie, Gursum, and Meyu Mulukie woredas of East Hararghie zone; Mieso, Burka Dhimtu, and Hawi Gudina woredas of West Hararghie zone, Seru, Bele, Dodota, Sere, Tiyo and Robe woredas of Arsi zone and Siraro and Shalla woredas of West Arsi zone in Oromia Region. The gravity of the water problem has forced the closure of some schools in Meyu Mulukie woredas of East Hararghe Zone in Oromia Region. In Amhara Region, serious water shortages are reported in the lowland parts woredas of Minjar and Shenkora, Kewet and Berehet woredas of North Shewa Zone, East Belesa, Tselemt, Janamora, Beyeda and Wogera of North Gondar zone and parts of North Wello and Wag Himra Zones. Water shortages also exist in Raya Azebo, Alamata and Enderta woredas of Eastern zone; Saesie Tsaeda Emba and Ganta Famine Early Warning Systems Network 2 ETHIOPIA Food Security Update February 2010 Ahfeshum woredas of Southern zone and Medebay Zana of Western zone of Tigray Region. Most of these areas require water trucking until the belg rains begin in March. The physical condition of livestock in mid and high altitude areas is generally normal since crop residue from recent harvest is still available. On the other hand, physical condition of livestock is poor in most lowlands. Following good production of meher crops in the western meher crop producing parts of the country, supply of grains to the markets is good and prices of cereals are seasonably declining although still much higher compared to the past five years’ average. Overall, the eastern meher producing parts of the country are highly food insecure and the situation is expected to deteriorate further as the available crops from the meher harvest (October to January) decline. Food security has temporarily improved in most parts of Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) as a result of the near normal meher harvest, particularly in mid and high altitude areas, the start of fresh harvest of root crops, and the continuation of productive safety net resource transfers. Income from the coffee harvest and the associated income from coffee labor have been good this year in the coffee producing zones. The physical condition of livestock is good as availability of pasture and water has improved except in pocket areas in Dasenech and several localities in Bena Tsemay woredas. Prices of food grains have declined in most markets across the region with increased supply of meher crops in the market. The southern parts of the region however, particularly Konso, Derashe, Amaro and Burji special woredas that heavily rely on the belg crops, continue to be highly food insecure as the 2009 belg nearly failed and harvest from the meher season was also poor. A significant portion of the people in these woredas depend on food assistance both from the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) and the emergency program. Most lowlands of the region also continue to be highly food insecure due to poor performance of both belg and meher crops. The combined impact of the below average rains during the last belg and meher seasons have left large numbers of people vulnerable to food shortages mostly in the lowlands of south and southeastern crop producing portions of the region. Food security in these areas will likely worsen until belg harvests occur, normally in June/July. Food insecurity in the predominantly pastoral region of Afar and the northern two zones of Somali Region continues to be serious, particularly in the northern parts of Afar region and Shinile zone of Somali Region due to repeated poor performance of seasonal rains that have resulted in the reduction of household animal holdings. Severe water shortages still persist in chronically water deficit woredas of Elidar, Kori, Bidu, Erebti and Teru woredas in Afar region and Ayisha, Afdem and Erer woredas in Shinile zone of Somali Region. The physical condition of livestock, especially cattle and sheep, is very poor due to scarcity of water and pasture. Milk availability is very low due to poor conceptions in 2009. There is an increased migration of pastoralists with their livestock to the Chefa area of Amhara Region and areas along the Awash River. Food security is highly dependent on food aid both from the PSNP and the emergency programs. Some areas in the southern parts of Afar region and eastern parts of Shinile zone in Somali Region have received unseasonable rains in recent weeks. If these rains continue, pasture and water availability are likely to improve. The climate outlook provided by the National Metrology Agency predicts that performance of the sugum (March to May) rains will be normal to above normal in these areas. If the forecast holds, water and pasture availability is expected to improve resulting in improvement in the physical condition of livestock.