FMNR mitigates effects of drought in Ethiopia

November 17, 2015

According to the government of Ethiopia, 8.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the current drought, coupled with successive failed seasons. These numbers go above and beyond the caseload of the Productive Safety Net Program which already covers approximately 8 million chronically food insecure people throughout Ethiopia. The Ethiopia Humanitarian Community Team (EHCT) analysis shows that 1.2 million people will require supplementary feeding, 350,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition will require life-saving therapeutic treatment, 450,000 livestock deaths may negatively impact livelihoods and contribute to food insecurity, 1.8 million Ethiopians will be without potable water for extended periods, disease outbreaks such as measles will contribute to a surge in mortality for children with nearly 15,000 measles cases in 2015 and preventable diseases will likely increase and pose more severe consequences for vulnerable or malnourished children.

Honey Production in Medeba Zana, North Ethiopia, 2015

Restored Water well in Humbo, South Ethiopia, 2015

28 of World Vision Ethiopia Area Programs will be under emergency and warning stages due to El Niño weather conditions and Belg rain failure resulting in crop harvest loss, livestock death and declining productivity, putting over 400,000 people under emergency support needs. Irrespective of such humanitarian situation across the country, those districts where FMNR has been significantly implemented exhibits the following characteristics:

  • As compared to the adjacent districts, the agricultural production of the households have not been affected at all, due the high moisture reserve available, hence the nutritional status of the household is not affected;
  • The rivers as well as hand dug wells have sufficient water that can supply for the next 2-3 years, despite reduced precipitation;
  • Because of the nature of honey production which requires only shower of rain, the income from this source is still growing steadily;
  • The income from agricultural production sales increased by more than double due to the failure of production in the neighboring districts;
  • The environmental services: fodder supply, wood supply, stabilization of microclimate, etc… is still intact and not affected
  • The income obtained from carbon credit enabled the community to cover household expenses that include school fees, medication, improved seed purchase, etc

Therefore, FMNR can be considered as an insurance against such climate change induced shocks and stress.

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