Severe Food Crisis hits most vulnerable in Ethiopia
February 2010
A meal of boiled grain simmers on a fire in the outback near Moyale, Somali region, Ethiopia, cooked by a pastoralist family living in the bush. Photo: Alex Wynter/IFRC
In February 2010, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) issued an emergency appeal seeking CHF 30.5 million (USD 28.7 million; EUR 20.8 million) in cash, kind or services to support the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) in assisting some 330,600 people for 12 months with vital food assistance, emergency water and sanitation and livelihoods recovery.
On 22 October 2009 the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) concluded its Humanitarian Requirements Report that several seasons of persistent below-average rains had left 6.2 million people acutely in need of food assistance and support to facilitate their recovery. This figure of 6.2 million people in need is exceptionally high for the time of the year. Normally the need for foreign assistance is at its lowest in the last quarter of the year as the result of the Meher harvest which is responsible for more than 85 per cent of the country’s annual cereal production, arrives in the local markets. The higher than normal figure of people in need reflects the failure of the May to June Belg harvest, the second year in a row that this had occurred in several parts of the country. The report thus illustrates that a significant part of the Ethiopian population is already in need of assistance and has a very limited capacity to cope with even more food shortage as a result of yet another season of failed ‘kiremt’ rains that were late, erratic and insufficient in almost 50 percent of the country.
According to Noel Wardick, Head of International Department, the IFRC Emergency Appeal "responds to a request from the ERCS and focuses on providing support to take an appropriate and timely response in four particularly adversely affected parts of the country. The ERCS will continue with early recovery and livelihoods activities in two areas covered by the National Society through its food security programmes.”
Taking immediate action is urgent in view of the lead time that is typically needed to mount a large-scale food intervention and the subsequent initial recovery assistance. Therefore timeliness is essential in order to start distributions in March 2010 when the hunger season is expected to start, far earlier than usual.
While the amount of support sought for this appeal is substantial, it only represents a very modest fraction of what is really needed in view of the size of the expected crisis. Mr. Wardick added “The ERCS and the International Federation are aware of the reality of the funding environment, but are determined to do everything possible to capture the gravity of the crisis and the need to act quickly to assist a majority of Ethiopians faced with another occurrence of acute food security.”
