Findings from a recent multi-sectoral food security assessment suggest worsening food security. An estimated 1.38 million persons require a comprehensive, integrated intervention to avert a food security crisis from September 2008 through March 2009.
The areas reporting the most severe deterioration in food security include the northern, western, a few eastern pastoral areas, and localized areas of the coastal lowlands.
While poor long rains have accelerated the decline in food security, livestock losses as a result of the peste de petits ruminant (PPR) disease, high and rising food prices, and debilitating conflict have accentuated the impacts of poor rains.
National maize output is tightening and the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) holds less than a quarter of the 360,000 MT statutory requirement. High food prices and below average long rains harvests will make if expensive for the government to finance the balance later in the marketing year (April-July 2009). Judicious timing of imports is required to ensure that neither consumers nor producers are unduly penalized.
Flood-affected people transport their belongings to safer places through a flooded road in the northern Indian city of Lucknow August 29, 2008. Villagers were eating uncooked rice and flour mixed with ...
