$130m required to battle drought-hit regions in Africa - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has revealed that $130 million is urgently needed to provide time-critical assistance to 1.5 million highly vulnerable people in communities within drought-hit regions of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, reports NaijaAgroNet.

FAO revealed this to NaijaAgroNet in its new Horn of Africa Drought Response Plan, saying this will support the production of up to 90 million litres of milk and up to 40 000 tonnes of staple food crops in the first part of 2022.
This is coming as Germany recently donated the sum of 30 million Euro to battle hunger crisis in the region.

With the new funding, FAO pointed out that it will support over 115 000 vulnerable rural households in three most drought affected countries - Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

"The aim is to provide access to food and other basic goods and services including water for animals and irrigation, veterinary services and education, while protecting and restoring productive livelihoods and building back self-reliance in drought affected communities," FAO sources informed NaijaAgroNet.

More specifically, in Ethiopia, FAO will support 65 000 households through providing livestock vaccines, construction of 30 veterinary health clinics, rehabilitation of water points, and implementing slaughter destocking.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that in Kenya, 35 000 households will receive veterinary care to sustain their animals and highly nutritious range cubes to feed livestock, which enable animals to continue to provide milk, as a source of food and income for communities. In addition, FAO will carry out cash transfers to ensure the most vulnerable can access basic foods and services.  

Also, in Somalia, FAO will assist over 16 500 households through cash transfers and cash-for-work programmes. The funds will be used to distribute fodder packages, drought-resistant seeds, which will be complemented with irrigation support.

Remmy Nweke/DoP