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Addis Ababa, December 11, 2020 – More than 50 million people need immediate food assistance in the Horn of East and Central Africa, and the numbers are expected to rise significantly as the region prepares for harsh La Niña weather conditions, Oxfam said yesterday. The warning comes as world leaders prepare to meet for a virtual Summit on Climate Ambition on Saturday, December 12.
Starting in mid-December, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda are likely to experience below-average rains as a result of a strong La Niña, which could result in millions more passing through hunger in 2021.
Lydia Zigomo, Oxfam Regional Director for Horn, East and Central Africa, said: “The predicted dry season will be the last straw for many, devastating their remaining crops and cutting off their livelihoods of food and income.”
The climate crisis is causing erratic weather patterns around the world, including longer and more severe droughts in the Horn region, East and Central Africa. The frequency and strength of La Niña events is likely to increase. Any rain that comes in is likely to come in more intense gusts and devastate crops by flooding or washing away newly planted seeds and seedlings.
Farmers, who make up nearly 80 percent of the region’s population, have already been severely affected by severe flooding and the largest desert locust swarms in 70 years, both overfed by the climate crisis as well as by the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. .
Since January, locusts have caused $ 8.5 billion worth of damage throughout the region, including nearly 100,000 hectares of farmland in Somalia, some 200,000 hectares in Ethiopia and some 70,000 hectares in Kenya, leaving livestock hungry. and causing food shortages.
The infestation in Ethiopia is feared to be the worst on record and threatens the “meher” crop, which contributes 80% of the country’s total crop. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the swarms are expected to move south into Somalia and Ethiopia, reaching northern Kenya from mid-December. A single swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometer of farmland.
Noor Maalim Abdi, a Kenyan farmer, said: “We used to have three meals a day, but with the lobsters and COVID-19, not anymore. For now, we sell our animals to support our families, but with curfews and confinement it is not easy. Our movement is restricted. “
Abdilaahi Wayrah, a Somali farmer working with Oxfam, said: “The locusts destroyed our crops just as we expected to harvest. I’ve never seen infestations like this before, and the saddest thing was that we couldn’t do anything about it.
“Then came COVID-19, and because of the shutdown, the prices of seeds and pesticides went up. We couldn’t afford to buy these necessary things. We don’t have enough food right now, but we are trying to rebuild again. ”
Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Tanzania were responsible for less than 0.2% of global carbon emissions between 1990-2015. The 10 most polluting countries, including the US, China and Japan, were responsible for 500 times more carbon emissions in the same period.
Zigomo added: “The incredible resilience of the most vulnerable people in the Horn, East and Central Africa is being tested to the limit by a combination of disasters not of their making.
“Urgent action is needed to provide the assistance that millions of hungry people desperately need.
“World leaders must also commit to more ambitious cuts in carbon emissions to avoid an even more catastrophic rise in global temperatures. Rich and polluting industrial nations must provide more climate finance to help poor communities, and agricultural communities in particular, adapt to a changing climate. They should also help vulnerable countries with new sources of international financing for loss and damage caused by more extreme and erratic weather. ”
Oxfam and its partners are supporting more than 897,000 people in Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan, Somalia and Tanzania with food, clean water, sanitation, cash assistance and seeds. Oxfam has also reached 3.5 million people in September and 2.6 million in October with COVID-related support. Shipping
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