An end has been
declared over the drought in the Horn of Africa by the United Nations Food and
Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
The drought, NaijaAgroNet gathered, affected
over 13 million of people and claimed thousands of lives.
The United
Nations also made a sound warning that with the recurrent droughts in that part
of the continent, hunger remains a threat to life unless long-term measures are
taken in restoring food security.
At the height of
the food crisis, about 750,000 people are at risk of death, as was disclosed to
NaijaAgroNet in a press release
by FAO.
According to a
new report jointly prepared by FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition analysis
Unit (FSNAU) and USAID's Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET)
revealed that there has been a reduction in people that need emergency
humanitarian assistance in Somalia from 4 million to 2.34million, amounting to
31 per cent of the population.
The reduction in
the number of victims, FAO Director-General, Jose Graniano da Silva said links to
the long-awaited rains coupled with substantial agricultural inputs and
response from humanitarian organisations in the last six month.
“However, the
crisis is not over. It can only be resolved with a combination of rains and
continued, coordinated, long-term actions that build up the resilience of local
populations and link relief with development," he said.
He further said
that drought could be avoided but measures could equally be put in place in
order to prevent drought turning into famine, and assured FAO would boost
current efforts to the affected region.
Highlighting
some of the responses, the Director General confirmed FAO had distributed seeds
and fertilizers to Somali farmers, and the rehabilitation of 594 kilometers of
irrigation canals and treating 2.6 million livestock at risk of diseases and
infections associated with drought.
After visiting
villages in Somalia, he said “I had a rare opportunity to meet with Somali
farmers and herders in Dollow. I witnessed the impact that we can make in their
lives. And, most importantly, I saw what they can do for themselves, if they
receive the right support at the right time.”
Jose
Graniano da Silva further urged stakeholders to renew their commitment to
fighting the drought while assuring of FAO's commitment to work within the
framework of existing initiatives such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Programme (CAADP).
'Yinka Awosanya/LS
Further, NaijaAgroNet gathered that within
2009 and 2010, the UN agency, FAO had assisted 1,500 agricultural households
and 35,000 pastoralists’ households in Gedo Region to boost their resilience in
order to cope with the recent famine without outside assistance.
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