New drought across swathes of southern Ethiopia may jeopardise the East African nation’s restoration of food security after the worst agricultural seasons in decades, unless urgent efforts are made to shore up vulnerable households in rural areas, warned the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). However, food security in 120 woredas (districts) has worsened since July, while 86 woredas are entering their third year (since December 2015) of top-priority emergency status. FAO calls for an immediate response to support the food security and nutrition of households reliant on animals. Along with the provision of supplementary animal feed, especially along migratory routes, targeted destocking interventions will be implemented to make protein-rich meat available for vulnerable pastoral communities and support livestock prices in local markets. For Ethiopian households, restocking after the loss of half of one's cattle typically takes four years without adverse conditions.

Source: Ethiopian News January 19, 2017 02:38 UTC