Drought affecting pastoralist livelihoods in Afar

Paul Herbert, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia, said drought had continued to whittle away the assets of Afar pastoralists. It was vital, he added, to prevent more livestock deaths and protect the dwindling wealth of herders in the region. "We do think the situation is continuing to deteriorate," he told IRIN. "There needs to be some very quick action. Food is needed, but the critical problem is with livestock and what to do in terms of providing fodder and water." Some 1.2 million people live in Afar, a lowland region bordering Djibouti and Eritrea, covering 270,000 sq km - about one fifth of the entire country. "There needs to be more assistance than we have actually planned for because the situation has gone to the worst case in Afar region," Herbert added. He said donors had traditionally been slow to respond to threats to livestock, saying large-scale cattle deaths also occurred in 2002, again undermining the Afar's assets. "The livestock early warning system really did not work well this time," Herbert added. Satellite imagery also failed to detect increasing animal deaths in the region. "The livestock are the basis of the Afar's livelihood and if they loose their livestock they loose their livelihood," he added. "Their whole livelihood is dependent on livestock. This is also their main food source - not the meat but the milk and the milk products from their animals and this is particularly critical for their children." He said the prices of the animals had dropped in the markets due to “poor condition", which meant the Afar could not sell their animals to buy other foods. "This emphasises the urgent need to adopt new strategies - different strategies to address the long term development requirements in the pastoral areas," Hebert noted. Improved livestock management, he added, would help to control animal numbers and make better use of limited pasture. Incentives for better pasture management and early warning were crucial to help the region. The Afar Pastoralist Development Association, which works across the region, also reiterated growing concerns for the impact of the drought. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has requested funding to help support the growing numbers of cattle that are dying in the region. As yet, however, the numbers of people who need food was unclear, according to Herbert, although 352,000 were receiving food aid in Afar. An action plan to combat the situation had been sent to the federal government's disaster prevention and preparedness commission from the regional authorities, he added. It will spell out specific needs and the number of people in need.