Starvation in the Horn of Africa

Starvation in the Horn of Africa

A catastrophe that was long forewarned is unfolding right before our eyes. The current drought in the Horn of Africa is the worst in 60 years, and the refugee situation is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. A combination of high food prices, failed rains, and continued conflict and displacement has put more than 12 million people on the brink of starvation.

By September 2011, the United Nations officially declared a state of famine in six areas of Somalia.¹ Among the worst-affected people are small farmers and agro-pastoralists who have no more stocks of cereals and cannot afford to purchase staple foods.

History teaches us that food shortages may be triggered by drought, but famine is not the inevitable result. For a famine to occur, it usually takes a combination of drought, extreme poverty, and, above all, political instability and weak governance.

Somalia has experienced several years of civil war and has been without a central government since 1991. In 2009, 3.2 million people were in need of food assistance as a result of internal displacement, conflict, and drought. The same combination of causes is responsible for the current tragedy, only this time it is much worse because food is so much more expensive.

In Somalia, prices of the two major commodities that are produced domestically, red sorghum and white maize, have increased by 30 to 240 percent and 50 to 154 percent in one year,² respectively, across the country. Prices of imported food commodities, such as rice, sugar, wheat flour, and vegetable oil, are also higher than a year ago.

Despite early warnings of looming food shortages as far back as August 2010, the World Food Program remained 60 percent underfunded by March 2011, and had to cut back its feeding programs in Somalia and Ethiopia. The value of early warning systems is rapidly eroded if not matched by a sufficient political commitment to early action.

The situation in the Horn of Africa underscores the importance of one of the recommendations in the 2012 Hunger Report—to take greater advantage of prepositioning food aid in areas where it is known it will be needed. It’s better and cheaper to prevent calamities than to respond to hunger emergencies. Often, though, funds for preparedness and contingency planning are in short supply, while large amounts of money are spent on post-disaster responses.

In the Horn of Africa, long-term solutions are needed to mitigate the impact of future droughts due to the changing climate in the region. Focus on diversifying livelihoods and supporting indigenous crops will cushion vulnerable populations against climate shocks. Providing drought-tolerant seeds and livestock breeds that can withstand dry-land conditions can improve food security. Experience shows that long-term development requires sustained commitment from national governments and the international donor community.

The U.S. Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, Feed the Future, is an important step forward in U.S. policy to support sustainable agricultural development in food insecure nations. But for programs like that to work in countries like Somalia, which are war-torn and without any government structures, it is vital to help restore stability. This will require stepped-up diplomatic efforts on the part of the international community, including the United States, combined with efforts to foster economic and social development.³

Faustine Wabwire is a policy analyst in Bread for the World Institute.