Livelihoods based drought emergency response in Afar regional state, Ethiopia

The intervention region was the Afar National Region that is predominantly arid and semi-arid, with characteristically low and erratic rainfall patterns. Most parts of the region are remote and experience difficult climatic conditions. Livestock production constitutes as the principal source of the region’s economy and the livelihood of pastoral and agropastoral communities.Drought, which happens to occur frequently in Afar struck wider parts of the Region. In most parts of it, sugum (short rains from March to April) and kerma (long rains from July through to September) failed altogether or, at best, underperformed. Repeated assessment results have indicated that the loss of productive assets and the increase in household food insecurity due to drought have become defining features and chronic vulnerability to hunger, loss of assets and food insecurity remains one of the dominant challenges of communities in Afar region of Ethiopia. The multiagency assessment in December 2009 identified priority needs and gaps from drought. These proposed needs included support to drought emergency livestock feeding (both supplementary and survival feeding), along with emergency veterinary services. 

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