Still reeling from the aftermath of a brutal war, the northern Ethiopian town of Tigray is also facing an unfolding humanitarian crisis driven by drought and crop failure. Source: Crux.
Media reports indicate that reservoirs and the farmlands they help irrigate have dried up because the rains failed last year, a crisis confirmed by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the chief executive of the Catholic charity Mary’s Meals.
“The lack of consistent rainfall for three previous rainy seasons adversely affected water supplies and agricultural production, wreaking havoc on the potential harvests,” Mr MacFarlane-Barrow told Crux.
The lack of moisture is devastating for a region in which about 75-80 per cent of the population are farmers. Farmers depend on rainfall for effective irrigation, and farming communities rely on rainfall and the food it helps them produce for their survival.
“Families can’t sustain themselves without adequate water, and fields that can’t be planted have a massive impact on food production,” Mr MacFarlane-Barrow said.
He said the drought has intensified food insecurity in a region trying to rebuild following a devastating war.
In June, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) – a leading provider of early warning and analysis on acute food insecurity around the world – projected that from June to September much of Tigray could experience crisis and emergency levels of hunger.
“The most recent rainy season has been promising so far but given the long-term lack of rain, the region will need several good rainy seasons to recover fully,” Mr MacFarlane-Barrow told Crux.
“Almost two years after the war officially ended in 2022, the region is struggling to recover: it’s estimated that 4.5 million people are in need of emergency food aid, 700,000 children are out of school, and local officials warn that nearly two million people are at risk of starvation,” he said.
Rising hunger and its evident negative effects on schoolchildren have also become an issue of great concern. The Catholic charity is now doing what it does best: providing school meals to help children continue to learn in a difficult environment.
FULL STORY
Drought driving new crisis of child hunger in Ethiopia, Catholic experts say (By Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux)
