Poor rains threaten livelihoods in pastoral zones

Inadequate rainfall during the past two seasons has resulted in a serious food security situation in Djibouti’s pastoral zones, the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS Net) reported on Monday. In its February update on Djibouti, the USAID-funded famine alert agency said that a drastic decline in income and food sources, coupled with high staple food prices, had resulted in significant food deficits in the Southeast Pastoral and Northwest Pastoral Zones of the country. The prevailing unfavourable food situation had led to massive migrations of people and livestock to coastal areas, where the carrying capacity of the ecosystem was low and limited. FEWS Net said pasture would be unable to support the increased number of livestock herds present in the traditional Heys/Dada grazing area. Migrations of Ethiopian and Somali pastoralists were also reportedly creating even more competition for scarce pastures, according to the FEWS Net report. Food security was likely to deteriorate further and a crisis was imminent unless the Diraa/Sougoum rains came on time (March/April), it added. Noting that the majority of the households in the Northwest Pastoral Zone relied on livestock as their main source of food, the report said the livestock that remained in this area were in bad condition, and lack of milk production was having a direct and increasingly adverse impact on the nutritional status of children. The brief noted that pastoralists in the Southeast Roadside Sub-zone relied mainly on the income generated by milk sales, but because of very low milk production - resulting from poor pastures and high staple food prices - households faced a 5-10 percent food deficit in this area. Poor pasture conditions in these zones would not be able support the concentration of animals in the grazing areas, the report stated. As a result, further reductions in milk production were expected with corresponding increases in household food deficits. Food aid distributed in October and meant to cover household deficits until April has helped address temporary food gaps in the drought-affected areas in the Southeast Border and Northwest Pastoral Zones, according to FEWS Net. The agency recommended that, in addition to continued food aid, curative and preventative veterinary support was needed to keep livestock alive. It also said that close monitoring of markets and migrations was required in both zones and that an additional needs assessment was needed no later than mid-April.