Specter of climate change pushes 55 million to hunger on the Horn of Africa
Five consecutive poor rainy seasons have pushed 55.45 million people in the Horn of Africa to starvation heightening conflicts in fight for scarce resources and putting lives at risk.
The latest IGAD Regional Focus of the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2023 shows 55.45 million people across seven out of the eight IGAD member states need urgent food assistance. Kenya had 4.35 million people affected, Ethiopia ( 23.61 million), Somalia ( 5.59 mil-lion), South Sudan (7. 74 million), Sudan ( 11.65 million) and Uganda ( 2.3 million) in 2022.
The report shows that 11.53 million children under 5 years were estimated to be affected by wasting in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda.
This is due to multiple shocks in the region including an unprecedented three-year drought in the Horn of Africa, record-breaking flooding in South Sudan and protracted conflicts. There are also macroeconomic challenges driven by the ongoing impacts ofCovid-19 and exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.
“Hunger levels in our region are at an unprecedented high. This situation is inextricably linked to climate extremes and disasters, conflict and insecurity, and economic shocks,” IGAD executive secretary Dr Workneh Gebeyehu said in the report.
Kenya has witnessed unprecedented drop in its staple maize yields over the last three years that has caused hunger in its dry regions and price inflation in urban areas that is pushing citizens to the margin.
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Together with rising cost of farm inputs, leaf rust infestation and shift in land use from agriculture to real estate development, the country which is mostly arid is facing a crisis of declining food production against rapidly rising population.
Economic Survey data shows maize production decreased from 42.1 million bags in 2020 to 36.7 million bags in 2021 and 34.3 million bags in 2022. A similar trend was reported for beans, coffee, wheat, and tea.
A bounty long rain season is expected to lift yields in the current season that has eased retail prices of vegetables in May 2023 and are expected to decline further. Supply of key food items, mainly vegetables, is expected to increase in the coming months supported by the long rains.
The Kenyan government has stepped up issue of subsidized fertilizer among farmers and made budget allocations for supply of seeds in a bid to combat the food insecurity.
Farmers told the Central Bank of Kenya Agriculture survey they also needed extension services to provide professional advice on best farming practices, soil analysis and areas of improvements.
Regarding irrigation, farmers recommended sinking of boreholes and more dams to water their farms.
While global interventions to stop rising temperatures has been hesitant, politically problematic and further disjointed by recent geopolitical uncertainties; and private sector financing focused on trading emissions and carbon offsets; there has been little investment to help communities adapt to climate change.
Together with rising cost of farm inputs, leaf rust infestation and shift in land use from agriculture to real estate development, the country which is mostly arid is facing a crisis of declining food production against rapidly rising population.
