UNITED NATIONS  DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia

Background

The Welayita area, situated in the ensete (false banana) culture zone, is characterised by a wide crop diversity, including cereals, pulses, root crops, ensete and different cash crops like coffee, eucalyptus, etc. Farmers have developed well adapted cropping strategies to ensure optimal food security throughout the year and normally, at any season, at least part of the agricultural land is under cultivation. On the other hand, Welayita is known for its high population density and structural food deficit, even in good years.

Excessive rains in 1996 resulted in a lower harvest than initially expected and meant that household food stocks were already low. Normally, sweet potatoes, supplemented by haricot beans, cabbage and kocho (made from ensete), are the main subsistence food during the stress period from March/April to June, until the green maize is available for consumption. Even if the sporadic sape rains of November/December, essential for the development of sweet potatoes, had been partly satisfactory, the two months delay of the 1997 belg rains, combined with a widespread attack of sweet potato butterfly, seriously affected and partly destroyed the sweet potato crop and now many areas of Welayita are facing a severe food crisis.

Current Situation

The belg rains started during the third decade of March, after a delay of almost two months. Land preparation is ongoing and farmers are planting at higher elevations. However, as a result of the delay and the very poor sweet potato crop, Welayita shows a very clear but disastrous picture with almost all agricultural land bare of any crops, with the exception of perennial plants like ensete and coffee, some small lots of sweet potato and yam (mainly in the western part of Welayita, but which are not at a productive stage due to the delay of rains). Also, most of the ensete plants are immature and not ready for consumption. As a consequence, there are no food reserves in the fields and food stocks and cash from last years harvest are mostly depleted.

Signs of distress are becoming evident with people using immature ensete (without milk) for food, with increased sales of fire wood and charcoal and with children coming to urban areas in search of help. Although the nutritional status of children might still be somehow satisfactory (between 92-94% WFL for the lowlands according to preliminary results of SCF/UK survey and probably ~90% or slightly below for the highlands), the situation will rapidly deteriorate without an immediate and adequate relief response.

Food distributions for the most vulnerable population have started or will be starting in all weredas, partly from remaining stocks in the weredas and partly from newly arrived relief supplies. According to the regional DPP bureau, 1,700 M/T of food arrived in Welayita two weeks ago, while an additional 7,000 M/T is now being transported directly to the weredas of Welayita and surrounding areas. While the actual food supply is based on the appeal figures, it is expected that the federal DPPC may have to adjust relief inputs upwards according to the new and urgent situation developing in the area.

Attached to this report is a table indicating the increasing food needs according to the gradually deteriorating situation. It has to be mentioned that this year’s estimates of affected people are not exaggerated and that the latest figures of the mid-March assessment, conducted by the zonal early warning committee, might even have to be amended in order to contain a possible disaster and to avoid recurrent rehabilitation needs.

If the rains prove to be consistent and well distributed, the situation will improve after two and a half to three months. In order to allow the harvesting of mature crops and the restoration of food security, relief assistance should cover a period of four to five months.

Additional Information: In Damot Weyde, Concern has a food stock of 2,600 M/T donated by the European Union (EU), which is allocated to an EGS emergency program, approved by the wereda DPP committee. According to Concern, the food can not be released, as authorisation from EU is still lacking.

 
North Omo

The delay of rains has naturally not only affected the Welayita area, but to a lesser extent, the remaining weredas of North Omo Zone and all but one wereda of the zone will need relief assistance.

The zonal DPP department is especially worried about the weredas of Kamba, Konta, Mareka Geno, Esera Tocha and Loma Bosa, which have no food stocks and will become inaccessible within a week as the rains progress.

 Based on the zonal early warning committee mid-March assessment results of affected people and a basic monthly ration of 15 kg per person, food requirements would amount to the following:
 

DISCLAIMER

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the UN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.