Drought in the Horn of Africa has killed more than 1.5 million livestock and slashed cereal production, and “we are now absolutely on the brink of catastrophe,” a senior official at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said on Monday.

Drought has left an estimated 13 million people facing acute hunger in the Horn of Africa in the driest conditions since 1981, the UN World Food Programme said. It is seeking $327 million to meet the urgent needs of 4.5 million people over the next 6 months.

Rein Paulsen, FAO’s director of emergencies and resilience, who returned from the region on Friday, said the “very small window” for emergency action, and the key was whether the region’s long rains between March and May were good – and whether the agency Get the $130 million you didn’t need until June.

The region, which includes parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, was supposed to see brief rains between October and December, but there was “very little rain,” he said. “This represents the third consecutive failed rainy season, with lower average runs, all of which have disproportionately impacted vulnerable households.” Paulson said the results of the drought meant total cereal production estimates for the last rainy season in southern Somalia 58% below the long-term average. In agricultural areas along the coast of Kenya’s southeastern fringe, “the crops we’re studying are estimated to yield 70 percent below average,” he said.

Additionally, in Kenya, most water sources that are usually resilient to climate change have dried up, he told a virtual news conference in Rome.

Paulson said $130 million in funding must now be made available to provide people with cash to buy food until production resumes, keep livestock alive and provide farmers with drought-resistant seeds for a bumper harvest.

“We have a window to the middle of the year — June, which is a very sensitive, narrow window for urgent action to scale up to prevent the worst,” Paulson said. “Agriculture needs to be more This is critical to the survival of drought-affected communities.” Paulson said during a visit to the area: “We saw livestock and wildlife carcasses on the side of the road as we drove. We saw animals and their In Kenya alone, 1.4 million livestock died due to drought in the second half of last year, while in southern Ethiopia, about 240,000 livestock died due to drought, he said. .

“It’s harrowing to drive through a community and see farmers tending livestock as they die by the road,” Paulson said. Livestock are not only vital to people’s livelihoods, he said, but they also provide milk for children, and food farmers Organizations are committed to providing emergency feed and water to keep them alive.

Complete News Source : The Hindu