WFP Southern Africa 2016
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Situation Report #2, 23 March WFP Southern Africa 2016 El Niño Situation Report #3 26 April 2016 HIGHLIGHTS WFP is bolstering its emergency response activities as the El Nino phenomenon looks set to have caused even worse harvest outcomes, affecting populations in the coming weeks and months. There are already an estimated 32 million food insecure people in the southern Africa region, largely as a result of drought which led to poor harvests last year. WFP’s response across southern Africa has an estimated shortfall of USD 677 million (87%) from April 2016-March 2017, not considering new needs expected to emerge from forthcoming assessments which will determine the April harvest outcome. (Please see page 6 for a country-by-country breakdown of shortfall requirements.) There is around a 50 percent chance of a La Niña episode developing from the second half of 2016, though any potential impact remains unclear at this stage. La Niña is characterized by increased rains and the possibility of flooding. Preparedness efforts ahead of a potential La Niña and longer-term resilience activities will also be necessary in a coordinated manner. Photo credit: WFP/Evin Joyce – Zambia SITUATION UPDATE In southern Africa, the period Oct 2014 to March defaulting and mortality among people living with 2016 will be the second driest two year period HIV/AIDS. Admissions to health clinics caused by since 1981. Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and moderate acute malnutrition have risen four-fold Zimbabwe have all declared states of emergency since January. due to El Niño-induced drought as have seven of South Africa’s nine provinces. Mozambique WFP is working with governments and other declared a Red Alert, the highest level of national partners to collectively prepare for the next emergency preparedness, in the central and planting season, improve national contingency southern provinces. plans and enhance preparedness measures to reduce the impact of El Niño on rural livelihoods The Southern African Development Community and food security. See report: Southern Africa El Council of Ministers approved the declaration of a regional drought emergency mid-March with the Niño Preparedness: Regional Supply Chain official statement awaited. Assessment - March 2016 Household food access is worsening due to steep To safeguard development gains and adapt to price increases for key staples, especially maize ever increasing climatic shocks, there is need to grain, which, for countries like Malawi and intensify work on climate change adaptation and Mozambique, have increased by more than 100 integrated risk management linked to long-term percent against five-year averages. resilience building such as productive asset creation and weather-based insurance. WFP is Data trends on nutrition for several countries, supporting these activities through strengthening including Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and food and nutrition security surveillance (see Zimbabwe, indicate increased levels of acute newly released Madagascar mVAM report), malnutrition in children under five and vulnerable developing national data analysis capacity and groups, such as people living with HIV/AIDS. In supporting national social protection Malawi, a recent joint assessment mission found programmes. very high and unusual levels of malnutrition, Page | 1 COUNTRY PROFILES LESOTHO Lesotho is one of the worst affected countries in the region, with reports showing that the 2015/16 agricultural season has failed. For the May/June harvest period, 80 percent of farmers are not expecting to harvest anything. Rain was received in the beginning months of 2016, which helped improve the water crisis that had been crippling the country. Lesotho’s Prime Minister on 22 December, 2015 Photo credit: WFP/Tsitsi Matope – Lesotho declared a state of drought emergency. The results of a multi-stakeholder Rapid Drought MALAWI Assessment conducted in January 2016, show that On 12 April 2016, the President of Malawi 535,000 people in the rural areas are experiencing declared a State of National Disaster caused by food insecurity through June 2016. The situation is the prolonged dry spells during the 2015/16 expected to worsen in the second half of the year season. Second round crop estimates show an into 2017. expected 1.07 million mt national maize deficit, In April, WFP started to provide technical assistance which is nearly five times the registered deficit last to the Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee year and implies that the number of people in need (LVAC) in preparation for the next LVAC in May 2016. of relief food assistance will significantly increase The results of this assessment will help stakeholders over the next 18 months. understand the drought’s effects and will inform A pre-harvest MVAC assessment (released in March) resource mobilization strategies. In addition, WFP is found that all the three regions experienced dry working with the government and other UN agencies spells due to effects of the El Niño, with the central on a Nutrition Assessment and the results will be and southern regions hit harder than the north. At integrated into the LVAC. the same time, heavy rains continue in the northern WFP has started distributing cash to 4,000 region, and could last until June, exacerbating the households in two of the most drought-affected current flooding situation. At least seven districts, Mafeteng and Mohale’s Hoek. Each family displacement camps have been established with receives USD 65 a month for an initial three months. more than 35,000 flood-affected people. The cash transfer will benefit 20,000 people. Food insecurity continues to aggravate Malawi’s WFP is also implementing a School Meals Programme fragile nutrition situation, with vulnerable groups and that provides two nutritious meals each day to people on ART/TB treatment feeling the heavy 250,000 learners in public primary schools. In consequences of drought. Admissions to health April, nutrition support targeting 32,650 vulnerable clinics caused by moderate acute malnutrition have people (including those on ART/TB treatment; risen four-fold since January. A nutrition survey children under the age of five years; and planned for April/June will further inform the malnourished adults) started in three of the five nutrition response. districts, Maseru, Leribe, and Mohale’s Hoek. Brea Given the outlook for the 2016/17 lean season, the and Mafeteng are planned in May. annual MVAC (a rural vulnerability and food security Following the extension of a World Bank funded Early assessment) will be conducted from early May to Warning project to September 2016, WFP will inform further mitigation actions and food insecurity continue working with the Disaster Management responses, including identifying the number of people Authority (DMA) to establish an effective “people who will require assistance later this year. centered” Early Warning System. The project aims to WFP, as co-lead of the national Food Security enhance timely access to information at community, district and national levels, to assist in both Cluster, continues its peak response period with preparedness and response, improve food security, assistance targeting 2.4 million people across reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience to natural 24 of the country’s 28 districts. Pipeline breaks shocks and climate change. for commodities that began in February have caused a domino effect into March and April distributions, Page | 2 WFP El Niño 2016-2017 Preparedness and Response Situation Report #3, 26 April 2016 with final March distributions running concurrent to will be available to people who do not have the those in April in some areas. physical ability to participate in these community works. In addition, 60,000 children under five will With a shortfall of USD 13.4 million, WFP had to receive supplementary feeding for Moderate Acute drastically reduce rations in April – halving maize Malnutrition (MAM). WFP, with support to the and fortified vegetable oil rations and reducing the Ministry of Education, implements a School Feeding cash transfer value proportionally. programme for 260,000 children from 1,300 primary To contribute towards recovery and resilience- schools in the three regions. The programme helps building during the 2016/17 lean season, WFP has mitigate the impact of El Niño by alleviating the started scaling up productive asset creation (tree pressure put on parents. Further funding is required planting and feeder road rehabilitation) and to sustain the programme from the school year community planning processes are now underway. 2016/17 onwards. The work is being coordinated with that of FAO, UNICEF and UNDP to leverage unique advantages for MOZAMBIQUE greater impact. Meanwhile, WFP is providing On 1 April 2016, the Technical Secretariat for Food resilience support to nearly 48,000 people in four Security and Nutrition (SETSAN) released the results districts continues and will scale to some 72,000 of the latest food and nutrition security assessment people across seven districts this year. which indicated that 1.5 million people are acutely food insecure and in need of MADAGASCAR humanitarian assistance in the Central (Zambezia, Southern Madagascar – including the Androy, Anosy Manica, Sofala and Tete provinces) and Southern and Atsimo Andrefana regions – has been especially regions (Gaza, Inhambane and Maputo provinces). affected by El Niño-induced drought. The drought, Very few households have any cereal reserves for which has affected these regions