Over 114,000 MT Food Aid Distributed in June 2004

Addis Ababa, July 08,2004 (DPPC)- Food aid amounting to 114,675 MT was distributed in June 2004 to the needy in ten regions, Aid Programmes monitoring and Coordination Department reported. Out of the total distribution which includes prepositioning done prior to inception of the rainy season, 60,130 MT was covered by the DPPC while the remaining balance (54,544 MT) was done by NGOs, according to the report.

Out of the total distribution of the month, 27,166 MT was distributed to Oromiya, 22,887 MT to Amhara, 21,026 to Tigrai 19,479 MT to Somali, and 16,548 MT to the SNNP regions according to the number of needy poplation. (Details is presented in the table).

The Department also reported the total distribution this year (upto end of June) amounting to 396,897 MT, which covers affected areas of the identified 10 regions. Of this distribution, the DPPC accomplished 170,168 MT while NGOs availed 226,728 MT, it was indicated.

On the other hand, the total available stock of the Emergency Food Security Reserve Administration on June 28, 2004 was 297,940MT. This is the total food grain of wheat, maize and sorghum available at six central ware houses (Nazareth, Kombolcha, Wolaita Sodo, Mekelle, Shashemene, Woreta and Shinnile) the EFSRA reported. The Administration further disclosed that 75,951 MT of food was under-withdrawal by June 28,2004 at all the six ware houses.

Regarding loan provision and repayment during this year upto June 28,2004 CRS borrowed from the Administration 72,924 MT against guarantee by USAID out of which 60,761 MT has been repaid. Besides, different NGOs borrowed 46,209 MT and the DPPC 15,000 MT of food against EU guarantee of which the DPPC repaid 7282.07 MT from the 2003 outstanding loan.

As to stock status, the Administration reported stock at hand amounting to 228,842 MT, outstanding loan of 100,211 MT, shortage from WFP donation 179.77 MT and 1,815 MT by June 28,2004.

7.1 million People require assistance
As many as 7.1 million Ethiopians would require appropriate types and levels of assistance in the coming months to rebuild their livelihoods following recurrent droughts, FEWS Net said this week.

The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS Net) said an estimated 50 percent of humanitarian needs for the peak shortage months of September to November was yet to be obtained. "Only 36 percent of the non-food sector's emergency requirements have been met. At a minimum, already-pledged resources must be delivered and distributed on time in order to reduce uncertainties for food-insecure households and to help them retain productive assets," FEWS Net said in its July update for Ethiopia.

It said food aid distribution had improved because of the increase in pledges. Between January and June 2004, the Ethiopian Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission's (DPPC), UN World Food Programme and NGOs had managed to distribute 386,110 mt of food, equivalent to about 68 percent of the total required amount, and 10 percent higher than the cumulative deliveries between January and April.

In addition, the DPPC pre-positioned 10,787 mt of cereals and supplementary food for drought-affected areas which become inaccessible during the July-August rainy season. However, although the distribution-to-needs ratio appeared to be improving, there was still room for further improvement, FEWS Net said.

Despite improvements in the food aid pipeline, pockets of acute malnutrition remained, it added. The DPPC, donors, UN agencies and NGOs, are expected to update the humanitarian appeal in August, according to FEWS Net. FEWS Net added that cereal prices had been stable in June, continuing a trend that started in March. Stable prices would help rural households obtain what food they could through the markets during the current hunger period, although rural cash income was critically limited by a lack of labour and other off-farm income opportunities.

Dilemmas During food shortages.

The Quela Quela bird , though beautiful, is responsible for destroying the majority of maize seed. In some areas of Amaro it has all but destroyed the crop by eating the seeds. The problems range from massive to miniscule. In regions of SNNPR compounded with the late, erratic rains, the tender seedlings of the third replanting were shriveled and useless. Both communities will go hungry.

So what are their options? People adopt many different way of coping with the problems that living in rural areas present. Some problems, like lack of rain, are foreseeable, to some degree. In Somali region, village elders regularly assess how damp the ground is, and where the water table lies, in order to find out how if their crops will survive. Like the Arab and Chinese sailors of the 15th and 16th centuries, many rural people in this area can tell what weather is coming from the star formations, and the patterns of clouds and strength of winds. They claim these methods are 100% accurate.

On a more earthly level, if the community has livestock, then it can be sold, eaten or moved to areas where there is still grazing. But this isn’t without complications. Sheep, cows, camels goats and chickens are all valuable assets, providing ongoing sources of valuable protein and nutrition- NGO’s report children raised on unpasteurised milk grow faster and taller.

But without pasture animals are useless, and if the livestock are to move, then people must move with them. So what of the members of the community who can’t move: the most vulnerable, the elderly, the ill, and the very young? Their options are very few. Even for those that do move, constant walking is a very efficient way to make animals, and people lose weight fast. As they become thinner, both are more prone to diseases. A weak immune system is a haven for meningitis, malaria, typhoid, typhus and bronchial diseases. Wounds and broken bones heal slower, without the vital vitamins B and D contained in food.
Fingers
And if the animals or people finally die, their rotting carcasses and corpses attract flies, and spread zooitic diseases. Bacteria and viral –borne diseases carried in the bones that leech into the soil. Although in the long term this actually fertilizes the soil, in the short term it pollutes it.

People get round these problems with their own strategies: in South Omo people eat wild leaves and roots, in Konso they eat Kwalte, similar to spinach. These are not preferred choices, this is survival. In almost all areas where people are hungry, the older family members cut back on their own food to give to children and babies. People sell their own food rations, bartering with others for necessary household items.

In some cases the fitter family members will leave the community and search for work, often however this involves black market trading, since local markets are saturated or non-existent. For example in Somali region locals are taking their goats to Kenya to sell, which is the only place they can get a reasonable price. In South Afar, the women are involved in foraging for wood near the Eritrean border, as they are granted immunity during conflict.

So the dilemmas and challenges for communities, government and NGO’s are great. But with resourcefulness and ingenuity, there are ways through.

German Agro Action Agro-technical paper 31 July 2004
Teff (Eragrostis tef / Eragrostis abyssinica)

One of the reasons for chronic food insecurity, believes German Agro Action, is the use of Teff as a major food source. Other reasons for the food insecurity are drought, poor soils, cropping techniques and erosion. However they believe that teff contributes to soil erosion for two reasons. Firstly because of the poor ground cover it achieves in the first six weeks of its life. As the heavy rains drive down, the soil is left relatively unprotected, compared to crops such as wheat, maize and barley. Secondly, in order to actually grow teff the soil must be tilled extremely finely, leaving it vulnerable to being washed away.

Crucially, again compared to other crops, teff yields have not increased in the past years, plus it’s very labour intensive. Fields have to ploughed 3-5 times, which is very hard if people are hungry, ill, or physically not at their prime.

So, here is a quick guide to the basics of TEFF :

Agronomical properties of teff:

Plant: tiny grass-plant; smallest cereal of the world; up to 90cm high; 150 grains teff = 1 grain wheat
Yields: average on farmers field: ~500 kg/ha; estimation by GAA;
On good plots with best practices incl. fertilizer, etc.: 890 kg/ha (Astatke Bayu).
On research plots yields of ~1,500 kg have been reported.
No substantial yield increases by breeding in past decades, whereas for most other cereals double and triple yield-increases were effected.

Start-up development: Teff develops extremely slowly, very long germination period, only after ~six weeks it starts covering thus protecting the soil, which due to it’s tiny feature is minimal compared to more robustly growing wheat, triticale, maize, etc.

Field preparation: farmers have to plough the land 3-5 times, in order to achieve a sufficiently fine soil for the very tiny seeds. This renders the soil structure extremely prone to erosion.

Ethiopian teff balance:

Estimated (GAA) area under teff (as % of total arable land)
in many food-insecure areas: ~60-70 % in general: 50%;
Compared with all other cereals, teff has the lion share of arable land in most areas.

Conclusion: If 33 % of the teff-land would be replaced by high yielding crops, that quantity of food will be produced, which Ethiopia has to import / mobilize on the average annually for the relief operations. (Various similar models and calculations are possible).

Note:
There are ways of evaluating teff that do not imply that new diet should be imposed on Ethiopians. Injera, the main staple food of the country, could remain, only some more mixture with other grains could be achieved, something, which many farmers do already for many years.

The advantage of mixing teff with other cereals increases the biological value of the protein substantially.

Alternatives to teff:

Wheat, maize, barley, sorghum, produce 3-6 times higher yields on same land / conditions than teff. In most areas these crops are also grown parallel to or earlier than teff.

Triticale (Triticosecale wittmack); a crossing of wheat and rye; in Europe well established as standard cereal) has been re-introduced to Ethiopia by GTZ/Bureau of Agriculture in Amhara, following successful testing of new varieties from South Africa.

Advantages: high yields; baking-taste and quality very similar to teff; strong and extended root system; resistant or tolerant to hail, water logging, frost, diseases, drought; the straw is more valuable than that of others.

Varieties introduced: “Maynet”, long season, good for marginal soil, higher in yields, for higher altitudes;
“Sinan”: 3 months season, lower in yields; Further triticale-details from GAA.

Some 1.3 people in need of emergency assistance in Somali Region

Drought is still affecting Somali region; despite efforts by the government as well as NGOs. Most people are Muslim nomadic pastoralists, and are hardy and adaptable, and accustomed to taking risks in the absence of rain. However the latest assessments are indicating that the situation is particularly bad at present.

According to a report from UN OCHA some 1.3 million people in the region are in need of emergency assistance for 4 to 5 months.

Save the Children-USA, an international NGO working in the Region, says the rainy season which is locally known as Gu was insufficient for crops or pasture in 2004. The aridity and low water table in the region means there is little flexibility, for the people. Crucially, water is needed for both human and animals.

The Somali Region which is located in the eastern part of the country is known for its recurrent drought and dry climate. It is also characterized by extensive plains which are interrupted by low hills and ridges and by shallow and Broad River Valleys. The soil is poor; there are few trees, and little shade. The area is largely pastoralist with a limited farmland irrigated by the two main international rivers; Wabi Shebele and Genale. Temperatures reach 40 degree centigrade, which makes the area one of the hottest regions in the world. The harsh conditions mean that these lowlands are little used and support a very small population.

Despite these hurdles, the economic potential for this region includes animal husbandry, irrigation, agriculture and potentially the exploitation of petroleum. At the moment however, contraband trade is playing a significant role in the economic activities of the region. Although control by the government has reduced illegally imported manufactured goods via the border with Somalia, contraband is still going on. Another factor affecting trade is the regional tax imposed on goats which makes it far more profitable to sell goats across the border. This includes goods like radios, TV’s and livestock.

Chewing khat (catha edulis), a stimulant and believed to aid reducing appetite, is widely used in the region. This has the knock on effect of making people less inclined to work hard, which is understandable in the circumstances. The poor infrastructure and the previous instability as well as the civil war in neighboring Somalia have impact on the fragile condition of the region.

Status of Food Pledge
This year (2003) up to end of June the total distributions of food aid amounts to 396,897 tons. Of this total, DPPC dealt with 170,168 tons while NGOs were responsible for 226,728 tons. Distributions for the first few months of the year were less than originally planned, partly due to concerns about overall funding levels for 2004. There were also delays by local officials in organizing and completing Employment Generation Scheme projects at the grass roots level.

The figures are as follows: June 2004 total of 114,675 tons of food aid was allocated and dispatched for 6.9 million beneficiaries. 60,130 tons was covered by the DPPC using DPPC and WFP food, while the balance (54,544 tons) was done by NGOs. July 102,000 tons of food is allocated for 5.4 million beneficiaries and in August 86,000 tons is planned to be dispatched for 4.5 million beneficiaries. The gross relief food requirements for June-December 2004 stand at 327,000 tons.

Confirmed contributions to WFP, NGOs and bilaterals to the Government mean the current shortfall for July-December is 70,000 tons (cereals 65,000 tons, pulses 5,000 tons). There are shortfalls from end-August onwards.

Furthermore, the mid-year ("belg" and "gu" seasons) assessment is near completion and some additional requirements are anticipated. Donors are urged to confirm pledges under negotiation: if repayment guarantees can be provided, loans of cereals from the Ethiopian Emergency Food Security Reserve could be accessed to cover the shortfalls.