The Horn of Africa risks going through one of the worst food crises in the world, warns the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO). After Covid-19 and two consecutive years of locust invasions, rural populations are facing a third drought season due to La Niña.
In Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, in particular, more than 25 million people are at risk of being very acutely food insecure by mid-2022. Among the most weakened by the drought, 1.5 million livestock breeders and farmers urgently need help to get through the lean season, as explained by Rodrigue Vinet, spokesperson at the FAO.
You should know that when a cow dies, it immediately results in two children who no longer have their daily bowl of milk. […] We must react, imperatively and immediately, in January, February, March. Then, unfortunately, it will be too late.
Rodrigue Vinet, FAO Spokesperson
Rodrigue Vinet, FAO Spokesperson
During the previous food crisis in the Horn of Africa, in 2017, the international community reacted quickly, while in 2011 it reacted too late. 260,000 people died of starvation.