Background

The agriculture sector (including crops, livestock and forestry) is central to Ethiopia’s economy. Some 53 percent of the country’s GDP is provided through the sector, which employs 80 percent of the population. However, complex crises and recurrent natural disasters (such as drought floods, and crop and livestock pests and diseases) have hit agricultural production for many years, undermining household food security.

The failure of two consecutive rainy seasons (October to December 2010 and February to May 2011) has led to drought conditions in the south and southeast of the country. This has affected the productivity of both crops and livestock, resulting in reduced food availability and a further deterioration in food security, particularly among the poorest households. Farmers have had to repeatedly replant their crops, using up their limited seed stocks. Livestock rearing has been hit by water and pasture shortages, with earlier than usual livestock migration and the concentration of animals in smaller areas leading to a higher risk of disease outbreaks. Cereal prices are above long-term (2006-10) averages and 2010 prices, meaning already vulnerable households are struggling to access enough food. According to the Humanitarian Requirement Document – officially released by the Government on 11 July 2011 – an estimated 4.5 million people have been affected and require emergency assistance between July and December 2011.

FAO’s emergency role in Ethiopia

The overall goal of FAO’s emergency and rehabilitation programme in Ethiopia is to contribute to food and nutrition security through responding to emergencies and improving the agriculture-based livelihoods of disaster-affected and -prone farmers, pastoralists and agropastoralists.

All FAO emergency activities are conducted in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Current activities being implemented through FAO’s Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Unit (DRRU) in Ethiopia include:

• support to horticultural production (distributing fruit seedlings, vegetable seeds and hand tools; root and tuber crop diversification; multiplication of planting materials; etc.);
• improving animal production and health (providing emergency feed; promoting innovative management and use of local feed resources; supporting livestock destocking in the form of animal sales and slaughter; developing community capacity for animal health service provision; and supporting vaccination and treatment);
• contributing to improved natural resource management and use (through farmer field schools, constructing water points, and rehabilitating irrigation structures);
• food security information and analysis, particularly focusing on the current drought situation; and
• co-chairing the Government-led Agriculture Task Force, which provides a forum for key stakeholders to discuss agriculture-related issues and inform decision-makers.