The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations estimates that 13 million people in the Horn of Africa are facing acute hunger as a result of the ongoing drought.
Families are being forced to flee their homes due to failed crops and food shortages, according to WFP, an immediate aid is needed to avoid a humanitarian crisis.
Three years in a row, the rainy season has failed and the drought continues leading to crops destruction, death of livestock and starvation of 13 million Ethiopians, Somalis, and Kenyans.
Food costs are rising, and because there isn’t much to harvest, demand for agricultural labour is declining, putting more strain on households attempting to feed themselves. A humanitarian crisis, according to the WFP, is unavoidable unless prompt help is provided.
WFP is seeking $327 million to help farmers cope with the drought, both in the short term by providing food and monetary aid, and in the long run by building resilience in farming areas where less rain and more drought may become the norm as a result of climate change.
In September 2021, Kenya’s government declared the drought a national emergency, with an estimated 2.8 million people in need of help.
The organisation plans to give emergency food assistance to over 890,000 individuals in the worst-affected regions, as well as expand malnutrition treatment programs for women and children.
Smallholder farmers will also benefit from WFP’s micro-insurance program. In Ethiopia, an estimated 5.7 million people are in need of food aid due to a severe drought.
If humanitarian help is not provided, the number of people in Somalia who are severely food insecure is predicted to rise from 3.5 million to 4.6 million between February and May 2022.
In the first half of this year, the organisation plans to increase food aid by 600,000 people, bringing the total number of people receiving help to about 2.5 million.
WFP will also give nutrition assistance to women and children to help avoid and treat the effects of drought.
If humanitarian help is not provided, the number of people in Somalia who are severely food insecure is predicted to rise from 3.5 million to 4.6 million between February and May 2022.
In the first half of this year, WFP plans to increase food aid by 600,000 people, bringing the total number of people receiving help to about 2.5 million. WFP will also give nutrition assistance to women and children to help avoid and treat the effects of drought.
WFP is also undertaking livelihoods, resilience, and food system programs to maintain recent development gains and strengthen vulnerable Somalis in the long run against droughts and other crises.
Droughts have become more severe and frequent in the Horn of Africa, exacerbated by climate change and desertification. There has been little to no recovery among impacted households after years of bad rainfall, dry spells, and drought, particularly the El Nino-induced drought in 2015/16.
