Horn of Africa drought trends said worse than in 2011 famine
NAIROBI, Kenya — Trends in a historic Horn of Africa drought are now worse than they were during the 2011 drought in which at least a quarter-million people died, a climate center said Wednesday.
The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center said below-normal rainfall is expected in the rainy season over the next three months.
“This could be the sixth failed consecutive rainfall season” in the region that includes Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, the center said.
Brian Inganga, AP file photo
Saito Ene Ruka, right, who said he has lost 100 cows due to drought, and his neighbour Kesoi Ole Tingoe, left, who said she lost 40 cows, walk past animal carcasses on Nov. 9, 2022, at Ilangeruani village in Kenya.
The drought, the longest on record in Somalia, has lasted almost three years, and tens of thousands of people are said to have died. More than 1 million people have been displaced in Somalia alone, according to the United Nations.
Last month, the U.N. resident coordinator in Somalia warned that excess deaths in Somalia will “almost certainly” surpass those of the famine declared in the country in 2011.
Close to 23 million people are thought to be highly food insecure in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, according to a food security working group chaired by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
Already, 11 million livestock that are essential to many families’ health and wealth have died, Wednesday’s statement said. Many people affected across the region are pastoralists or farmers who have watched crops wither and water sources run dry.
The war in Ukraine has affected the humanitarian response as traditional donors in Europe divert funding to the crisis closer to home. The head of IGAD, Workneh Gebeyehu, urged governments and partners to act “before it’s too late.”
The IGAD climate center is a designated regional climate center by the World Meteorological Organization.
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Maria Chagwena, a millet farmer, feeds her chickens millet grains in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiMaria Chagwena, a millet farmer, feeds her chickens millet grains in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Maria Chagwena, a millet farmer, works in a field in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiMaria Chagwena, a millet farmer, works in a field in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Maria Chagwena, a millet farmer, holds a plate with millet grains outside her house in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiMaria Chagwena, a millet farmer, holds a plate with millet grains outside her house in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsHaven Daley
Pierre Thiam, executive chef and co-founder of New York-based fine-casual food chain Teranga, cooks fonio, a variety of millet in El Cerrito, Calif., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. “Fonio is nicknamed the Lazy Farmers crop. That’s how easy it is to grow," Thiam said. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
Haven DaleyPierre Thiam, executive chef and co-founder of New York-based fine-casual food chain Teranga, cooks fonio, a variety of millet in El Cerrito, Calif., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. “Fonio is nicknamed the Lazy Farmers crop. That’s how easy it is to grow," Thiam said. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Jestina Nyamukunguvengu walks near a pearl millet crop in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Thursday, Jan, 19, 2023. Farmers like Nyamukunguvengu in the developing world are on the front lines of a project proposed by India that has led the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization to christen 2023 as “The Year of Millets,” an effort to revive a hardy and healthy crop that has been cultivated for millennia — but was largely elbowed aside by European colonists who favored corn, wheat and other grains. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiJestina Nyamukunguvengu walks near a pearl millet crop in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Thursday, Jan, 19, 2023. Farmers like Nyamukunguvengu in the developing world are on the front lines of a project proposed by India that has led the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization to christen 2023 as “The Year of Millets,” an effort to revive a hardy and healthy crop that has been cultivated for millennia — but was largely elbowed aside by European colonists who favored corn, wheat and other grains. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Jestina Nyamukunguvengu takes a break while working in her fields of millet crop in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Thursday, Jan, 19, 2023. Farmers like Nyamukunguvengu in the developing world are on the front lines of a project proposed by India that has led the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization to christen 2023 as “The Year of Millets,” an effort to revive a hardy and healthy crop that has been cultivated for millennia — but was largely elbowed aside by European colonists who favored corn, wheat and other grains. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiJestina Nyamukunguvengu takes a break while working in her fields of millet crop in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Thursday, Jan, 19, 2023. Farmers like Nyamukunguvengu in the developing world are on the front lines of a project proposed by India that has led the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization to christen 2023 as “The Year of Millets,” an effort to revive a hardy and healthy crop that has been cultivated for millennia — but was largely elbowed aside by European colonists who favored corn, wheat and other grains. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Maria Chagwena, a millet farmer, winnows millet on a bamboo mat in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiMaria Chagwena, a millet farmer, winnows millet on a bamboo mat in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsHaven Daley
Pierre Thiam, executive chef and co-founder of New York-based fine-casual food chain Teranga, cooks fonio, a variety of millet in El Cerrito, Calif., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. “Fonio is nicknamed the Lazy Farmers crop. That’s how easy it is to grow," Thiam said. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
Haven DaleyPierre Thiam, executive chef and co-founder of New York-based fine-casual food chain Teranga, cooks fonio, a variety of millet in El Cerrito, Calif., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. “Fonio is nicknamed the Lazy Farmers crop. That’s how easy it is to grow," Thiam said. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsHaven Daley
Products made from fonio, a variety of millet, are displayed on a table at the home of Pierre Thiam, executive chef and co-founder of New York-based fine-casual food chain Teranga, in El Cerrito, Calif., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. “Fonio is nicknamed the Lazy Farmers crop. That’s how easy it is to grow," Thiam said. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
Haven DaleyProducts made from fonio, a variety of millet, are displayed on a table at the home of Pierre Thiam, executive chef and co-founder of New York-based fine-casual food chain Teranga, in El Cerrito, Calif., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. “Fonio is nicknamed the Lazy Farmers crop. That’s how easy it is to grow," Thiam said. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Maria Chagwena, a millet farmer, right, works in her field near a child in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiMaria Chagwena, a millet farmer, right, works in her field near a child in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
A woman holds a bottle filled with millet seeds stored in a seed bank in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Thursday, Jan, 19, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiA woman holds a bottle filled with millet seeds stored in a seed bank in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Thursday, Jan, 19, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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UN eyes revival of millets as global grain uncertainty growsTsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Maria Chagwena, a millet farmer, works in her field in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Tsvangirayi MukwazhiMaria Chagwena, a millet farmer, works in her field in Zimbabwe's arid Rushinga district, northeast of the capital Harare, on Wednesday, Jan, 18, 2023. With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
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