FAO and WFP joint briefing focuses on the food security situation in the Horn of Africa

On 7 April, FAO and WFP organized a joint briefing on the food security situation in the Horn of Africa, given the ongoing drought which follows three consecutive seasons of below-average rains.

Rainfall across the Horn during the month of March has been well below-average and forecasts for the rest of the season do not look favourable. Beyond poor agricultural production levels, which is limiting household incomes from crop and livestock sales across the region, food access is currently constrained by rising food prices across the region.

The regional Food Security and Nutrition Working Group estimates that between 13.1 and 14.1 million people are highly food insecure in the region through May 2022 only because of the drought. This number might increase to 15-20 million if the current forecasts of below-average rains do materialise. If the rains fail completely and no humanitarian assistance is provided, it is likely that some households in the Horn will experience “catastrophic” hunger conditions.

Under FAO’s new Horn of Africa Drought Response Plan, USD130 million is urgently needed to provide time-critical assistance to 1.5 million highly vulnerable people in communities within drought-hit regions of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.