“Damages to crops appear to be irreversible and rangeland conditions remain generally poor” in east Africa, following scant rainfall during the October-December rainy season, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in a special alert that describes support for agriculture as an urgent need. “Food insecurity is expected to significantly deteriorate by early 2017.”
Close to 12 million people in the Horn of Africa — across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia — need food assistance, said the FAO. Grain and seed supplies are short, it said, and milk and meat production are low. “Terms of trade are particularly bad for livestock farmers, as food prices are increasing at the same time that market prices for livestock are low.”
The FAO said it was disbursing emergency funds in Kenya and Somalia to supply feed and vaccination for livestock, repair water supplies, and provide seed and tools for spring planting. Aid to farmers now, so they can maximize production under hostile weather, will reduce the need for humanitarian and food aid later in the year, said the FAO.