USAID contributes USD 2 million to FAO's drought response in Ethiopia
Initiative to improve the food security and protect assets of drought-affected pastoral and agro-pastoral households
Addis Ababa – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) has contributed USD 2 million to the Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO)’s drought response in Ethiopia.
"The funds have enhanced FAO's efforts to save livestock and livelihoods and therefore lives of the communities affected by drought," said Chimimba David Phiri, the FAO Representative in Ethiopia a.i and Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa and FAO Representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. He further thanked the USAID BHA for the funding contribution, saying, "It has come at a critical time when we are racing against time to respond to the drought."
Interventions
Through the April – December 2022 "Emergency support to mitigate the effects of drought in Somali region of Ethiopia" project, FAO is providing about 7 000 vulnerable pastoral households with supplementary animal feed, adequate to feed two core-breeding cattle for three months. In addition, FAO is training the beneficiaries on basic animal husbandry and feed management. The Organization is also providing the targeted households with a cash transfer of about USD 80 per household. The unconditional cash transfer will enable the drought-affected pastoral households to meet other immediate needs, mitigating the risk of resorting to negative coping strategies, especially during the lean period.
The project is also strengthening the effectiveness of agriculture and livelihood-related responses to drought through enhanced leadership, better information dissemination, and improved coordination. It is developing a dedicated drought-focused coordination and monitoring system for improved data collection and information dissemination. These efforts will contribute to better monitoring of the drought situation and interventions and enhance planning and targeting by the Disaster Risk Management – Agriculture Task Force partners.
Severe drought conditions negatively affecting pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods.
Ethiopia's southern and southeastern parts are experiencing the third season of drought, driven by La Niña. Oromia, Somali, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ regions are the most affected. Communities in the affected regions are experiencing acute water shortages, failed harvest, and livestock deaths, leading to reduced food stock and income. The lack of pasture and water has exposed animals to diseases due to low immunity, resulting in the low productivity of breeding animals. The drought conditions have compelled some pastoralists to travel longer distances or utilize different routes in search of available grazing land and water. Over 8 million people are affected by the drought, and 1.5 million livestock have died.
FAO's Response and Mitigation Plan
In January 2022, FAO launched a USD 130 million Rapid Response and Mitigation Plan for Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. The Plan details the activities that the affected countries should prioritize between January and June 2022. For Ethiopia, the agriculture sector required USD 53 million (being revised to USD 83 million). Of this, FAO required USD 32 million (being revised to USD 53 million). So far, FAO Ethiopia has received USD 12.8 million.
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Contact
Rachel Nandelenga
Communications Consultant
FAO Ethiopia
@FAOEthiopia