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Highlights
• With yet another failed rainy season on the horizon, 11.8 million people urgently require emergency food assistance in the drought-affected areas of Ethiopia.
• Through 2023, WFP aims to reach 7.4 million of the most vulnerable with a combination of lifesaving assistance and support to build their resilience to future climate shocks in the long term.
Situation Overview
Over 24 million people in Ethiopia have been impacted by the worst drought in recent history – at least 11.8 million of these people are in need of emergency food assistance.
Five consecutive rainy seasons have caused such severe water shortages that pastures and livelihoods have been devastated across the south and southeast of Ethiopia. The Somali, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s regions have been hit the hardest. The areas experiencing dry conditions are expanding, now reaching conflict affected areas in the north of the country.
The crippling drought is expected to persist, with the next rainy season forecasted to be delayed and below-average once again. The upcoming March to May rainy season is particularly important as it contributes to approximately 60 percent of the annual rainfall. As food stocks from the previous harvest and livestock conditions dwindle, food shortages, food insecurity and malnutrition are only increasing. In the drought affected areas of Ethiopia, 23 percent of children under the age of five and pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished – far above the emergency threshold of 15 percent.1 In the Somali Region, aside from providing emergency food assistance to 2.8 million people, WFP aims to treat 187,000 malnourished children and mothers in the region with specialized nutritious foods this month. In addition to these lifesaving initiatives, in 2023, WFP plans to support 647,000 agro-pastoralists in the region with trainings on small-scale, drought-resistant agricultural techniques and entrepreneurial skills to help them build a flourishing business and diversify their livelihoods in the face of climate change.
Meanwhile in the Oromia Region and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region, WFP is delivering specialized nutritious foods to 580,000 mothers and children this month to address acute malnutrition concerns and providing nutritious school meals to 107,000 children whose families have been affected by the drought.