Somali: FAO Declares End to Famine but the Situation Remains Dire
Nairobi - The United Nations announced the end of the famine in Somalia February 3 but has warned that unless measures long-term strategy to restore food security, hunger remained a threat because of recurrent droughts in the Horn of Africa.
According to a new report by FAO- managed Food security and Nutrition Analysis unit (FSNAU) , USAID ‘s Famine Early Warning System Network(FEWS NET), the number of people in need of emergency humanitarian assistance in Somalia have declined from 4 million to 2.34 million, 31% of the population. At the height of the crisis, nearly 750 000 people were in mortal danger.
"The long awaited rains, and the combination of substantial contributions to agricultural and humanitarian response deployed during the last six months, are the main reasons for this improvement," and said the new Director General of FAO, José Graziano da Silva, during a press conference at Nairobi Serena hotel after visiting Southern Somali.
“We cannot avoid drought ,but we can put measures in place to try to prevent them from becoming a famine . we have three months untill the next rainy season,” he added.
Mr. Graziano da Silva added that "However, the crisis is not over. Only the combination of high rainfall and long-term actions ongoing, coordinated, aimed at strengthening the resilience of local populations and linking humanitarian assistance programs and development, can provide a definitive solution to this crisis. Droughts are inevitable but we can implement appropriate Measures to prevent them from causing famines. Three months remain before the next rainy season. "
Mr. Graziano da Silva stressed that FAO would intensify its efforts in the Horn of Africa. He also stressed that agriculture was a key element of peace and stability in the region.
Depending on the network FSNAU-FEWS, the normal rainfall between October and December 2011, associated with agricultural and humanitarian interventions, have enabled farmers to increase their production capacity and purchasing food.
As part of its emergency response, FAO has distributed seeds and fertilizers to farmers Somali. In the regions of Bay and Shabelle, they took advantage of the rains and inputs by both FAO and other agencies to double their production of maize and sorghum, realizing their best harvest in recent years.
FAO has also rehabilitated 594 kilometers of irrigation canals and processed 2.6 million cattle at risk of diseases and infections caused by drought.
Over the last six months, FAO, UNICEF, WFP and other non-governmental organizations have established programs called "money against labor" and "food stamps" rather than relying solely on The amounts of cash have allowed families to buy food locally and stay in their home region while stimulating economic recovery and contributing to the rehabilitation of local infrastructure of agriculture and livestock.
The combination of agricultural and humanitarian interventions has reduced significantly grain prices at the local level in most vulnerable areas of the south, thus improving the purchasing power of the poorest households. In sorghum-growing regions such as the amount of grain that can be purchased with one day of work rose from 4 to 14 kg between July and December 2011.
Despite this increase, the last harvest contributed only 10% to annual cereal requirements, so that inventories will be sufficient only until the next planting season, between April and June.
The report also warned that approximately 325,000 Somali children suffering from acute malnutrition were still at risk.
The crisis is still affecting the entire Horn of Africa with 9.5 million people needing emergency aid in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, against 13 million at the height of the crisis.
The Director General of FAO has also called for a renewed commitment by all stakeholders - regional governing bodies such as the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the private sector, civil society civil actors in the humanitarian and development and the peoples of the region themselves. He pledged that FAO is working as part of ongoing actions such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development (NEPAD).
Accompanied by the Chairman of the Committee on World Food Security, Ambassador Yaya Olaniran and senior management of FAO, the Director-General visited the village of Dollow (Gedo region in Somalia), to evaluate it by the same situation and observe the work of FAO and its partners. I had the rare privilege to meet with farmers and ranchers Somali Dollow. I witnessed the impact of our actions on their lives. More importantly, I saw what they could do for themselves if they receive appropriate support in a timely manner, "said da Silva M.Graziano.
In 2009-2010, FAO has assisted 1,500 farm households and nearly 35,000 pastoral households in Gedo region to strengthen their resilience, enabling them to cope with the most recent Famine without recourse to outside assistance, can produce and sell their own food.
The UN declared famine in Somalia’s southern two regions of Southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle in July, extending the warning in September to six out of the country’s eight regions. Over 2.8 people mostly being children were affected in Somalia alone, forcing an exodus of refugees into neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya.