Horn of Africa food crisis

East Africa food crisis

A food crisis in East Africa has left an estimated 20 million people struggling for survival.

Widespread poor and erratic rainfall, combined with rising food costs, has made it much harder for people living in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda to access daily food. Those who are most vulnerable are being hit the hardest.

Crops have failed and the livelihoods of many affected families, who rely on the land for survival, are under threat.

What is the problem?

The crisis is complex and has different causes and effects in the four countries. These are some of the common problems.

  • Several poor rainy seasons have affected large areas of the region
  • Erratic rainfall has affected crop production, including recent very heavy rains that have damaged crops and caused localised flooding
  • The resultant poor harvests are threatening the livelihoods of those who live off the land
  • With few or no crops available, families must buy food instead – but factors including increased demand have pushed prices beyond their reach
  • Finally, people are forced to sell their assets, such as their animals, but the value has dropped significantly. This means that whereas for example last year, three sheep might have bought 100kg of grain, now they would buy less than one-quarter of this

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Who is affected?

  • Ethiopia: more than six million people
  • Kenya: more than ten million people
  • Somalia: more than three million people
  • Uganda: more than two million people

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What are the issues?

Ethiopia

  • In most areas, food prices have shot up by more than 50%
  • The combination of poor land management and, some would say, climate change, has resulted in highly degraded land in many regions in the Horn of Africa. In Ethiopia, where 80% of people live off the land, the poor and erratic rainfall is having disastrous consequences
  • There have been dramatic increases in severe acute malnutrition amongst children
  • The situation will continue to deteriorate in the next few months, following the early cessation of the rains in September, which will reduce the next harvest

Kenya

  • The livelihoods of more than 70% of people in northern Kenya, who are mainly pastoralists, are affected by drought and rising costs
  • Inflation has soared and there has been a 50% rise in food prices since the beginning of 2008
  • One in four children in Turkana, northern Kenya, is suffering from acute malnutrition
  • Flooding caused by extreme rains on the east coast and in the south west, around Lake Victoria

Somalia

  • The country is in the midst of a complex humanitarian crisis and has been without an effective government for 18 years
  • Renewed fighting has exacerbated an already desperate situation
  • The cost of food has increased substantially
  • Access to water is also a key issue – in some areas the cost of water has increased by 1,000% in the last few months
  • UNICEF estimates that one in six children in Somalia is acutely malnourished
  • The situation will continue to deteriorate in the next few months

Uganda

  • While most parts of Uganda have had normal or good rains, the Karamoja region in the north-east is fast approaching a worst-case scenario in terms of food security
  • The prolonged dry spell in Karamoja is in its third consecutive year, delaying the single cropping season
  • 70% of people in Karamoja are receiving food assistance
  • There are high levels of malaria and pneumonia amongst children under five, with the child mortality rate almost 30% higher than the national average

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How is World Vision responding?

World Vision is responding to the emergency in the Horn of Africa by addressing both the short-term and long-term needs.

The response is tailored to the different needs in the affected countries, and the needs of the different communities within those countries.

In the short-term, World Vision is supporting affected communities by:

  • Distributing food
  • Supplying potable water
  • Providing supplementary feeding programmes, particularly for children and breastfeeding mothers
  • Treating malnourished people
  • Distributing seeds and farming equipment to enable production for next season
  • Protecting livestock
  • Distributing non-food items to people affected by floods in Kenya

In the long-term, World Vision works in partnership with communities to promote self-reliance and resilience. This includes:

  • Increasing agricultural productivity, particularly in communities with an unstable supply of food
  • Introducing drought-resistant crops
  • Developing environmentally sustainable agricultural practices
  • Improving nutrition and health, particularly for women and children
  • Offering micro-credit loans to help to create more sustainable livelihoods

We are seeing progress in the communities we partner with, but there is still a long way to go.

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PICTURE: A mother and her child affected by the food crisis in Ethiopia