EMERGENCIES UNIT FOR
ETHIOPIA (UN-EUE)
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Field Trip to Amhara and Tigray National Regional States
Written by Hans Spiess, Field Officer, UNDP Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia 7-22 March, 1996
1. Introduction
A field trip was undertaken in order to assess the general conditions in the food-deficit areas in the Amhara Region and obtain current information on the progress of the belg rains in the Southern zone of Tigray Region, North Welo, South Welo, Oromia and North Shewa zones of Amhara Region.
Although the regional Bureau of Disaster Prevention and Preparedness (DPP) has adopted a policy that food distributions should not commence before April, emergency distributions have already been carried out or are underway in the entire Wag Hamra zone, parts of North Gonder (Tselemt, now Adi Arkay wereda), in Bugna wereda (North Welo zone) and Mekdela wereda (South Welo zone). These measures were undertaken mainly to avoid large scale stress migration movements and maintain nutritional status at acceptable levels.
The belg rains are progressing differently in the various visited areas. Although somewhat late, in South Welo, Oromia and most of North Shewa zones the rains have started in a satisfactory manner. North Welo and Southern zone of Tigray Region received heavy rains at a very early stage in mid-January. After a dry period of around one month the rains resumed again, but were very erratic and accompanied by hailstorms. In the lowland areas between Weldiya and Mehoni farmers are reploughing the fields and will probably cultivate long-cycle meher crops of sorghum and maize, missing out partially on a belg harvest of teff. In Debre Birhan, it was reported that some areas of Gishe Rabel wereda have not yet received any rain, which is very worrying as belg crops in this area account for 75% of the annual food production.
2. Amhara Region
2.1. General situation
As already observed during a field visit at the end of January, the overall situation in Amhara Region is generally better than one year ago. In the chronically food deficit areas of Wag Hamra zone, parts of North Gonder, North Welo and South Welo zones emergency distributions had already taken place in order to curb stress migration movements and maintain stable nutritional levels among populations in these areas.
The regional Bureau of DPP has not yet been able to establish a general relief plan for the region for 1996. Except for the Ethiopian Relief Organization (ERO) and Food for the Hungry International (FHI), activities of NGOs involved in relief activities in the region have not been officially determined.
Regarding the number of beneficiaries receiving food aid, most zonal bureaux of DPP, as well as NGOs working in the region, claim that the figures stated in the central CDPP 1996 Appeal were too optimistic. Another point creating debate is the fact that as a result of a reduction of the number of weredas some wereda figures of people in need of food assistance no longer correspond with those in the CDPP 1996 Appeal.
Furthermore, the uncertain pipelines of NGOs may hamper the pre-positioning of adequate food quantities in inaccessible areas before the onset of the kiremt rains. This is particularly tru for Wag Hamra zone, Tselemt in Adi Arkay wereda in North Gonder, areas in the western highlands of South Welo zone.
2.2. North Gonder zone
Results of the post-harvest assessment are now being compiled and will serve as the main instrument in reviewing the food situation. The zonal DPP is reallocating food aid to affected beneficiaries in food deficit weredas. Apart from the drought-prone areas in the Simien mountains (Adi Arkay, Beyeda, Janamora), the weredas of Belessa, Dembia, Gonder Zuria, Dabat, Debark and Wegera may also be places of intervention in the near future.
The experts of the zonal agricultural bureau consider the weredas in the Simien mountains the worst affected due to soil degradation and over-population and subsequently small landholdings. Nine weredas in the western part of the zone are considered self-sufficient or surplus areas.
The average landholding varies from less than half a hectare in the mountainous highland areas in the eastern part of the zone to around two to three hectares in the less populated areas of the western lowlands.
According to the zonal Bureau of Agriculture, the reduction of the 1995 food production was caused by three factors:
- Early cessation of kiremt rains in 12 weredas during the flowering stage of
the crops; crop yield loss: 893,473 quintals
- Pest damage (Welo bush cricket, grasshoppers, African bollworms, red
teff worms, shootflies, stalkborers and Striga); crop yield loss: 171,329
quintals
- Flooding, hail damage and landslides:
crop yield loss: 119,973 quintals
Frost damage, which often occurs in the higher altitudes, was not reported at the end of last year.
With a total of 802,229 hectares of land under cultivation, the pre-harvest assessment done in late 1995 has estimated a crop production of 6,423,404 quintals. The actual production therefore is estimated at 5,238,629 quintals and accounts for 81.5% of the estimated production.
The biggest crop losses occurred in the following weredas:
Beyeda (-48.9%), Tselemt (-39.7%), Janamora (-31%), Belessa (-15.8%), Wegera (-5.6%) and Gonder Zuria (-14.4%).
2.2.1. Emergency food distributions in Adi Arkay wereda
After 10,000 people left Tselemt area (now part of Adi Arkay wereda) in search for food along the Gonder - Shire main road in January, the zonal Bureau of DPP distributed food rations for the displaced population and they subsequently returned to their homes. At the time of the visit in Gonder, the zonal Bureau of DPP informed the mission that emergency food was being transferred for another 15,000 beneficiaries in the above-mentioned area. With this measure another wave of migration could be avoided. The zonal Bureau of DPP admitted that unless food is pre-positioned for the affected population for up to September the situation could deteriorate again. Because of the remoteness of the area, (approximately 500 km from Gonder town), and precarious road conditions after May Tsemri, food has to be pre-positioned before the onset of the kiremt rains.
For more effective monitoring a mobile radio has been installed and daily communication has been established between the affected area and the zonal Bureau of DPP in Gonder town.
In the other drought-affected areas the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) will cover Janamora wereda and the Ethiopian Relief Organization (ERO) will continue its activities in Belessa wereda. The zonal Bureau of DPP will be responsible for eventual interventions in the remaining weredas.
2.3. South Gonder zone
Although the weredas of Ibnat, Lay Gayint, Tach Gayint and Simada are drought-affected, South Gonder zone currently does not require immediate emergency food distributions.
According to the zonal Bureau of Agriculture, early cessation of the kiremt rains, flooding, hail and plant pests (Welo bush crickets, shootflies, aphids, stalkborers and Striga
all contributed to crop yield reduction in the above-mentioned weredas.
As the compilation of the post-harvest assessment report is still ongoing, no quantitative data was available at the time of the visit regarding damage in the various weredas.
Various migration movements have been reported from the lowland areas of Ibnat and Simada weredas. According to the zonal bureau of DPP current reports of migration are not different from other years and are mostly normal movements in search of labour.
No changes have taken place in the operations of relief agencies. As in previous years, ERO is covering Ibnat, Food for the Hungry International (FHI) Tach Gayint and Simada and EOC Lay Gayint weredas.
Food distributions will resume in April, linked with EGS activities. FHI, which has stocks on the spot, is aiming to start distributions for Simada wereda in March. In this large wereda some lowland areas already seem to be experiencing food shortages.
In Debre Tabor town 50 ex-servicemen and displaced women from Eritrea are working on the construction of a new zonal office of DPP. Some of the workers show remarkable skills, particularly in stone masonry. The aim of the project is not only to construct the new DPP office, but it is hoped that through demonstration of their skills, some of the labourers would be employed in the private sector or other up-coming construction projects after completion of the office.
2.4. North Welo zone
The belg rain patterns in the eastern part of North Welo zone have so far been characterized by unusual early and heavy rains around mid-January. After almost one month they resumed with uneven distribution. In some areas the rains were accompanied by hail, but due to the early stage of the cultivation period only minor damage occurred (fruit trees, etc.). In Kobo wereda, it is reported that farmers who cultivated short cycle crops following the early rains in January had to replough their field after the one-month dry spell. By mid-March the rains were still scarce, the farmers have now had to concentrate on the cultivation of long-cycle crops such as sorghum and maize and therefore will miss out on part of the belg production.
Regarding food aid, the zonal bureau of DPP is currently very much concerned about the prevailing conditions in Bugna wereda. The most affected kebeles are located along the border to Wag Hamra zone (ten kebeles of Wag Hamra zone were incorporated into Bugna wereda at the end of 1995). The zonal DPP bureau has transported 9,372 quintals of sorghum to be distributed immediately for 25,000 beneficiaries for three months. 450 quintals of oil will also be given to the above-mentioned beneficiaries.
According to the regional policy, regular food distributions will resume in April. EOC will assist Bugna and Gidan wereda, whereas the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) will cover Meket wereda. It is not been decided yet who will be engaged in food distributions in Delanta, Wadla, Gubalafto and Kobo weredas.
Unless the performance of the belg rains rapidly improves, an increase in beneficiaries can be expected towards the middle of 1996 in the eastern weredas.
2.5. South Welo zone
Although somewhat late, the belg rains have had a better start as compared to last year. The eastern part of the zone (from Ambassel to Kombolcha) has so far received regular rainfall, in some areas accompanied by hail. According to the zonal Bureau of DPP, the rains also started at the beginning of March in Tenta and Mekdela weredas, which could show an improvement in these areas compared to last year when there had been no rain until mid-March.
The zonal Bureau of Agriculture is facing problems in attracting farmers for trials of improved seed and fertilizer. The farmers apparently prefer to cultivate according to the rainfall patterns rather than following the advise of the extension agents. Since the rainfall patterns for belg as well as kiremt rains have been of a more irregular nature in the past few years, it is difficult to involve the farmers in improved techniques.
The zonal Bureau of DPP does not agree with the view of the regional office that South Welo zone is not part of the severely affected zones.
Following the post-harvest assessment, the zonal Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Committee reports that 358,000 people are in need of food aid (compared to 90,300 excluding 30,000 displaced in the CDPP 1996 Appeal).
The food deficit areas remain the same as last year (Mekdela, Tenta, Sayint, Wegedi, Debre Sina, Jama).
The zonal Bureau of DPP claims that Sayint, Debre Sina and Wegedi weredas are not better off than last year. It is not known by zonal authorities why Debre Sina and Wegedi weredas are not even listed in the central CDPP 1996 Appeal as drought-affected weredas. In Sayint, 4,100 persons need to be assisted according to the 1996 CDPP Appeal, but the recent zonal assessment provides a figure of 41,000 persons in need of food aid.
A new wereda of concern is Were Ilu, formerly known as a surplus area. Two reasons are given for Were Ilu's deteriorating conditions:
- the eight lowland kebeles were affected by untimely and irregular rainfall as
well as plant pests
- through the restructuring of wereda boundaries 16 partially drought-
affected kebeles of the now dissolved Legehida wereda were incorporated
into Were Ilu wereda.
The February 1996 South Welo post harvest update of Save the Children/UK (SCF/UK) has revealed a 2.8 % drop in nutritional status of this area since August 1995 and recommends that the food security situation be closely monitored during the coming months.
2.6. North Shewa zone
As with other zones, the drought-affected areas of North Shewa zone remain generally the same as during the previous years. The northern tip of the zone with the former weredas of Gishe Rabel, Gera Midr, Lalo Midr and Mama Midr will also experience food shortages during the current year. In the course of restructuring, the three weredas of Gera Midr, Lalo Midr and Mama Midr are now two weredas named Gera Keya and Lalo Mama. Gishe Rabel wereda remains unchanged.
According to the zonal Bureau of DPP, shortage of rain, untimely rainfall, water-logging, plant pests and hail are the main reasons for the reduction in crop production in the above-mentioned weredas.
Following the post-harvest assessment, the zonal DPPC has come up with the following crop loss figures for the drought-affected areas:
Gishe Rabel (19 Kebeles):
8 Kebeles 40 % crop loss
11 Kebeles 25 - 39 % crop loss
Gera Keya (20 Kebeles):
10 Kebeles 40 % crop loss
10 Kebeles 25 - 39 % crop loss
Lalo Mama (46 Kebeles):
21 Kebeles 40 % crop loss
25 Kebeles 25 - 39 % crop loss
The belg rains started with a slight delay. A team of the zonal Bureau of DPP is currently in the field to monitor the progress of the rains. In the highland areas of the three weredas the belg production accounts for 75% of the annual food production and therefore regular and effective monitoring is of the utmost importance.
In Gishe Rabel, the prevailing poor conditions necessitate an emergency food distribution by the zonal Bureau of DPP to 3,000 beneficiaries at the end of March. Due to the inaccessibility of the area, distributions will take place in Mehal Meda.
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus/Lutheran World Federation (EECMY/LWF) and World Vision International (WVI) will most likely be the relief agencies in the above-mentioned weredas.
3. Southern zone (Tigray Region)
The progress of the belg rains in the Southern zone of Tigray region shows similar patterns to those of North Welo zone. After early and above normal rainfall in January a dry spell occurred that lasted one month. At the beginning of March the rains resumed with erratic and uneven distribution. As in the lowlands of North Welo zones, many farmers in the lowland weredas of Mehoni, Chercher and Alamata started to cultivate short season crops immediately after the January rain. Due to the absence of continuing rainfall the emerging crops wilted and the cultivated fields had to be reploughed.
Although the rains have been good in the highlands since the beginning of March, the lowlands have only received little rain. Although it is too early at this stage to comment on the outcome of the belg harvest, with the minimal amount of rainfall that lowland weredas received up to the middle of March the good result of last year's belg harvest will definitely not be repeated this year.
3 April, 1996
UN-EUE Tel.: (251) (1) 51-10-28/29
PO Box 5580, Fax: (251) (1) 51-12-92
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