More than 11 million people are facing
critical food shortages in several countries in East Africa
and in the Horn of Africa. It is a major humanitarian crisis
requiring a quick response to meet the nutritional, health
and livelihood needs of those affected. The current food insecurity
situation has been further complicated by pre-existing poverty,
conflicts as well as inadequate health and sanitation services.
A series of country appeals have been launched.
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12 November 2008 Ethiopia’s rain-lashed Wolaita zone holds its breath for the harvest Carefully targeted humanitarian food interventions, supported by the Finnish and Austrian Red Cross and the Federation and implemented by the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, have helped alleviate a food-security crisis in Wolaita in the SNNPR region. But those projects will soon be winding down, and all eyes there are on crucial harvests starting about now – of wheat, maize, barley and teff – which are almost certain to have been damaged in unseasonal heavy rain. Read
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22 April 2008 Food prices: walking up to Africa's nightmare
In begining 2008 an announcement by the United States government that it was releasing $200 million in emergency aid to alleviate chronic food shortages should be applauded by all. This intervention means that the UN’s World Food Programme will be able to get food to those who need it the most, a mission that had been profoundly threatened by a doubling in global food prices. At the same time we also have to look beyond the issue as it stands now. The fact of the matter is that we should not be looking at this current situation as a crisis. We should be very concerned about what is happening, but using the term ‘crisis’ suggests the situation is momentary; that it will eventually return to normal. This is not the case. Read
the full opinion piece
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