An Oxfam team assesses the conditions around a group of small villages where many of the food reserves are now exhausted.

Feb 02, 2012 | Coco McCabe

For the Oxfam team conducting an assessment of communities in the Louga region of northern Senegal one thing is very clear: low rainfall, shrinking pasture, and high food prices have left herders and farmers deeply worried about what the future will hold for them. Will they have enough food for their families? Will their livestock survive?

Across West Africa a new food crisis is looming over a population that has already endured three of them since 2005. The last—in 2010—affected 10 million people.

But with early action, the hardship and loss so many have suffered through in the past seven years could be softened and that’s what Oxfam America’s humanitarian workers Isaac Massaga, Julie Savane, and Greg Matthews are taking the first steps to put in place. They are just back from Boulal, a collection of villages in the north, where they were working to identify the greatest needs and the responses that would best fill them—now, and longer-term.

“We’re in a good position now to mitigate the serious consequences of an acute food crisis and to help people not resort to selling assets and cattle to meet their basic needs,” said Matthews, speaking from the Oxfam office in Dakar, Senegal’s capital.

Selling valuables—livestock, farm tools—is one of the strategies poor families without cash employ as a last resort when faced with no other way to get food: They’ll use the money to buy it in the market. But in selling these important assets, they are also limiting their ability to make a living, and that drags them deeper into poverty. Halting that cycle is key to averting a crisis.

During the last growing season, rainfall in Louga was erratic, said Matthews, sometimes coming in great gushes and sometimes not at all. For the crops—millet, cowpeas, and peanuts—the result was dismal. The yields are off dramatically.

One farmer Matthews spoke with said he and his family had just consumed the last of the millet they had harvested in the end of October—300 kilograms worth. That was five times less than he would get in a good year. And the next planting season is still four months away.

How will people manage? Some, like the millet-grower, will pursue petty commerce, such as hunting for wood that they can sell as fuel in the market. But for many herders facing lean times, their strategy is to migrate with their livestock in the hope of finding pasture elsewhere.

Early migration

In Boulal this year, that migration has started much earlier than usual, said Matthews.

“The hardest months for pastoralists are April, May, and June—right before the rains begin,” he said. “But they’re starting to experience that now, in the beginning of February, so most of their productive animals have already started to migrate.” That means families must take their kids out of school prematurely and abandon other livelihood efforts, like gardens and small shops, that could help support them.

Poor harvests are also adding to the stress herders are feeling. With fewer crops pulled in from the fields that means fewer leftovers of leaves and stalks to feed to the livestock. And as the health of their animals declines, so does the value of sheep, goats and cattle.

Coupled with all of this, said Matthews, are climbing prices in the markets. A 50-kilogram sack of rice that once could be had in a trade of one sheep now costs a herder two or three.

“Because of all this, people are starting to employ early coping strategies,” Mathews said. “They are starting to change the way they eat and manage their finances to prepare for a long, hungry season.”

But even as they take these steps, the future hangs heavily.

“People are really worried about what will happen a month from now,” Mathews said. “Most of the food reserves are already exhausted.”

Solutions

Among the responses Oxfam is weighing are cash transfers—a tool that would allow hard-hit families to carry on as they would normally. With cash, they could buy the essentials they need during this critical period but not have to sell vital assets to do it, said Matthews. A second approach might be to help herders get access to fodder for their livestock, which provides both food and income for families.

But longer-term, the goal is to help communities become more resilient.

“The bottom line is working with communities to take charge of the issues and find solutions themselves,” said Matthews, pointing to a milking cooperative that had worked successfully in the area for a while. “It’s not about money. It’s about having, at the base community level, the desire to work together and the capacity to manage working collectively.”

LONDON, 3 February 2012 (IRIN) - A new attempt to quantify malaria deaths over the past 30 years suggests the death toll, especially among adults, has been greatly underestimated. The figures also show the fragility of the gains made in fighting the disease.

Collecting data on malaria deaths is notoriously tricky; the countries where the disease is most prevalent have the weakest statistics. And even where causes of death were recorded, the researchers found many deaths were simply attributed to “fever” – probably malaria, but possibly not. In addition, a malaria infection is often a contributory cause of death along with other health problems.

However, after some complicated number-crunching, researchers, based at the Institute for Health Metrics in Seattle, believe they have produced the best estimates so far of how many people in the world die of malaria.

The figures, published in the London-based medical journal, The Lancet, some surprises, principally because they are significantly higher than those issued last year by the World Health Organization (WHO) – more than eight times higher in the case of older children and adults in Africa, where most of the deaths occurred. The difference was smaller in the case of children under five, but the researchers said they believed malaria was a more important cause of death in under-fives than the 2011 World Malaria Report estimated, causing 24 percent of child deaths in Africa.

Christopher Murray and his colleagues said they believed the fact that almost half a million extra deaths occurred in adults and older children each year had practical implications. “Traditional teaching in most medical schools argues that acquired immunity [in endemic areas] means that adults have clinical malaria, but are not likely to die from it. Inspection of the basic... data, however, clearly shows a substantial percentage of malaria deaths in individuals aged 15 years and over, even in endemic areas such as sub-Saharan Africa.”

In the light of this they suggest a shift of control strategies to pay more attention to all adults, not just women and children, in the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets.

The research also tracked malaria deaths through time, from 1980 to 2010. Global malaria deaths almost doubled between 1980 and 2004; child deaths in Africa almost tripled over the same period. The researchers suggest the HIV/AIDS epidemic and resistance to chloroquine as probable causes, along with an increase in population in malaria-endemic areas.

After that the number of deaths started to fall, although they are still not down to 1980 levels. The results of hard-fought campaigns, and the resources provided by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, do show up in the figures. The authors say “the risk of malaria death in several countries that have scaled up control efforts, such as Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, has decreased between 2000 and 2010 figures”.

The reverses of the 1980s and 1990s signal the fragility of the gains in the war against malaria, and the researchers say this underscores the danger posed by the world economic crisis, and the slowdown in health funding. They conclude: “The announcement by the Global Fund [in November] that their next round of funding would be cancelled raises enormous doubts as to whether the gains in malaria mortality reduction can be built on or even sustained.”

Sarah Kline, executive director of Malaria No More UK, told IRIN this fragility of funding, especially from the Global Fund, was a big source of discussion and anxiety for the whole malaria community. “The total funding gap for malaria, from all sources, if we are going to meet our 2015 targets, is around US$3 billion a year, although we did have some positive announcements at Davos about extra funding from the Gates Foundation, and the governments of Saudi Arabia and Japan.”

The funding gap was also addressed by the Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf when she was elected to head the African Leaders' Malaria Alliance on 2 February, and urged African countries to step up their own funding for control campaigns and find innovative sources of finance to close the gap.

eb/mw

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Severe drought adversely affects the 2011-12 first season crops

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Severe drought reduces the 2012 first season food and nonfood crops

• Agricultural assistance needed for affected vulnerable farmers

• Production of 2011 maize estimated at record level, but that of wheat was reduced

• Exports of cereals in 2011/12 (March/February) expected to reach 2.2 million tonnes

By David Singh

GENEVA, 3 February 2012 - A 15-day state of disaster is currently in effect in areas on the west coast of Fiji that have been ravaged by floods which began on 22 January.

A flood watch is in place as periods of heavy rain are expected. All those living in flood-prone areas have been advised to evacuate and take with them food, water and a change of clothes. As of today, there are 21 active evacuation centres with a total of 1,333 evacuees.

The state of disaster, declared on 25 January by the Government’s Provincial Development and Multi Ethnic Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary, Colonel Inia Seruiratu, applies to Ba, Lautoka, Nadi, Nadroga, Ra, and Tavua.

In a 48-hour period from 22-24 January, 400 mm. of rainfall was recorded in Nadi, which triggered flooding across the west of Viti Levu.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reports that, “Severe flooding and landslides … have forced thousands from their homes to seek safety in evacuation centres.” Once the floodwaters started to recede, notes the IFRC, there was a trail of devastation. “Crops had been washed away; homes, shops and roads damaged; and communities left with no water or power supply.”

Eight people lost their lives while an initial assessment has estimated damages to all key sectors to be $30.6 million. There are currently 51 cases of disease - predominantly diarrhoea and typhoid - reported in relation to the flooding.

A recent UNISDR and UNDP publication – Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in the Pacific: an Institutional and Policy Analysis, states that in the Western part of Fiji high intensity floods are becoming more frequent. In the Nadi area, high intensity floods used to occur every 190 years. By 2100 it is projected that they will occur every 25 years.

As Angelika Planitz, UNISDR’s Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Pacific notes, “These types of events are likely to continue to occur. Scientists are exploring the evidence that climate change and developments in low lying flood-prone areas such as Nadi and Ba are contributing factors. In the interim, improved preparedness and early warning, two important elements of disaster risk reduction, will have to remain important and urgent priorities.”

According to the Fiji Times, “While fingers have traditionally pointed to drainage issues, authorities are at present assessing whether harvesting and farming practices contributed to the magnitude and intensity of flooding and the numerous landslides.”

Forestry Permanent Secretary Viliame Naupoto states: "It is time we relook at our forest code of harvesting practices, see if it is being followed properly; we need to see if we are doing something that is contributing to the situation. We also need to see if people are following the code properly - we need to learn very quickly.

According to the findings of the Government of Fiji’s National Progress Report on implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015): Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters (HFA), as well as on the Pacific Regional Framework for Action (RFA), both frameworks have been instrumental in helping the country to plan and develop disaster risk management programmes.

Planitz states that “Two of the affected areas, Nadi and Ba are participating in UNISDR’s ‘World Disaster Reduction Campaign - Making Cities Resilient’. In Nadi, an Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) helps to reduce the risk of flooding from low to medium intensity rainfall. Mitigating impacts from intensive rainfall, however, remains a challenge,” she observes.

Planitz adds: “More low pressure systems are likely to approach Fiji in the coming days. It will be important to warn already affected populations of the potential threats. Getting the messages out to remote areas which are still out of electricity is an important priority.”

The IWMP is funded by the UN Development Programme – Global Environmental Facility (GEF) with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Bumper harvest provides respite, but 2.34 million Somalis remain in crisis

Nairobi (3 February 2012) – The combination of the massive scale‐up in humanitarian assistance and an exceptional harvest have helped to improve the humanitarian situation in Somalia where famine conditions are no longer present, but any significant interruption to assistance would reverse the gains made since famine was declared last July, according to analysis released today by the Food and Agricultural Organisation’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS NET). The latest data shows that 2.34 million Somalis still need life‐saving assistance and the situation is expected to deteriorate again in May.

“The gains are fragile and will be reversed without continued support,” said Mark Bowden, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia. “There are 1.7 million people in southern Somalia still in crisis. Millions of people still need food, clean water, shelter and other assistance to survive and the situation is expected to deteriorate in May.”

“We need to use this temporary relief from the worst of the crisis to focus our efforts on life‐saving assistance, while building up people’s ability to cope with future drought – and thereby reduce their dependence on aid,” said Bowden. “Recovery is only possible after August if the rains are good and other external factors, such as conflict, do not hamper the progress made so far.”

According to FSNAU and FEWS NET analysis released today, the parts of Middle Shabelle and areas hosting internally displaced people in Mogadishu and Afgooye corridor, where famine conditions persisted, improved to pre‐famine levels. Famine was declared in Somalia on 20 July. By November, parts of Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions had improved to pre‐famine, emergency levels.

The latest FSNAU and FEWS Net data shows that sustained humanitarian efforts were boosted by the current exceptional harvest following the Deyr rains. The harvest, which was double the average of the past 17 years, provides 10 per cent of Somalia’s food requirements in normal years.

“This extraordinary harvest gives an important boost to continuing humanitarian efforts. In particular, it benefits agro‐pastoralists, who were disproportionately affected by the crisis. However, this may only be a respite and years of conflict and poor rains have left millions of Somalis vulnerable. Mortality rates in many parts of southern Somalia are still among the highest in the world, mainly because of malnutrition and disease outbreaks,” said Bowden.

“The exceptional harvest resulted in lower food prices and increased the availability of food to people in the areas most affected by drought. Vulnerable Somalis will face another ‘lean period’ in the months before the major harvest. Sustained assistance is critical to consolidating the gains that have been made and further reducing Somalia’s distressingly high levels of malnutrition and mortality.
Traditional and new donors were very generous last year. Somalis need that assistance to continue.”

“Through innovative programming and strengthening local partnerships we were able to mitigate the worst effects of the famine. However, access to people in need will remain a major challenge. We rely substantially on the humanity of all parties to conflict to demonstrate their continuous commitment to Somali people. All actors have a responsibility to respect international humanitarian law and grant unconditional access to vulnerable people. Similarly, all parties must minimize the impact of conflict on civilians,” said Bowden.

For further information please contact Russell Geekie on geekie@un.org or +254 731043156
For further information in Somali contact Abdi Yussuf Noor on nooryussuf@un.org or +254 734 210 103

Office of the United Nations Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia
Springette, Off Lower Kabete Road, P.O. Box 28832, 00200, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel. (254 20) 4255000; Fax (254 20) 4255101 Website: www.unctsom.org