The devastating effects of drought on crop production in Ethiopia

The rainfall in Ethiopia is sporadic in nature, or as Met Éireann would say, "scattered or isolated", and although farmers in some parts are getting favourable conditions, others are suffering from severe drought and limited productivity due to climate change.

Ethiopia is one of the worst affected countries of the El Nino effect, a weather phenomenum where some countries get more rain while others get less. The country's two main rainy seasons "belg" (spring) and "meher" (summer) are being severely disrupted year on year, and it is now reported that the country is experiencing its worst drought in over 50 years.

Wolayita is in the SNNPR region of Ethiopia, where 90% of the population live in rural areas, and reliance on rain-fed agricultural is very high. The drought was so severe in 2015 that crop failure was prevalent (90% of crops planted in 2015 have failed), and households now face serious food shortages due to poor yields, and also livestock death - with the physical conditition of all cattle and small ruminants emaciated due to feed and water shortage.

The reality is that food will not be produced anywhere within the next three months.

Degraded land

Wolayita is in the highlands, where proper soil management is needed to prevent erosion when land is cropped and grazed. However, due to climate change, the extended dry seasons are further drying out the soil in the region, making it even more susceptible to erosion. A lack of soil cover means that the land is left vulnerable in intense rains, whenever they come.

With a high population density and small farm sizes, land in the region also suffers from over-cultivation.

The "belg" rains, which usually last from March to May, arrived earlier than expected this year in February, to a small extent addressing the water shortage for livestock and growth of crops. However, poverty means that many farmers cannot access the seeds and imputs needed to make use of the rain, to increase food production for the year to come.

Emergency

Over 10.2 million people are in need of food assistance in Ethiopia, according to Concern Worldwide. The aid agency is currently trucking water to people in areas where wells and springs have dried up completely and providing seed to agricultural households who have been forced to eat their seeds to survive.

The cost of providing seed is significantly less than the cost of providing food or treating malnutrition, and so the Irish aid agency is now trying to provide good quality seed to over 30,000 agriculture-dependent households before the "meher" rains start in mid-June.

This is the world’s third biggest emergency appeal, according to Concern CEO Dominic MacSorley.

“If we wait to see the images that haunted us thirty years ago before we intervene, we will have failed the people of Ethiopia. This is a country which has worked hard to develop its economy and strengthen how it copes with chronic climate challenges. The government is leading and driving this response - but the scale of this crisis is beyond the abilities of any one nation.

"The World Food Programme alone has said that it requires an additional $500 million to continue emergency food supplies beyond April,” he said.

Áine Hennessy travelled to Ethiopia to see some of the programmes that Concern Worldwide and Gorta Self Help Africa fund in the SNNPR region to improve the livelihoods of farmers affected by drought. The two NGOs have just announced a strategic alliance, uniting to devise a lasting Irish response to a deteriorating food crisis affecting tens of millions of people in Ethiopia.

Look out for further coverage of farming in Ethiopia in the Irish Farmers Journal in the coming weeks, including visits to a successful irrigation scheme, a seed-producing co-op that is the first of its kind, and a support group for female heads of households.