Ethiopia Weekly Humanitarian Bulletin – Drought-affected Areas – Feb 6, 2017
Key Issues
- Spring rains expected to be weak in current drought-affected areas
- A high-level mission to Borena zone sheds light on drought response and gaps in the area
- The Logistics Cluster handed over a refurbished logistics hub facility to NDRMC in Adama
Source: Relief Web
Spring rains expected to be weak in current drought-affected areas
According to the National Meteorological Agency (NMA) climate outlook for belg 2017 season (mid-February to May), below normal rainfall is expected in the southern and south-eastern parts of the country. Belg is the main rainy season for the pastoralist and agro‐pastoralist communities in the lowlands of southern and south-eastern Ethiopia, including southern Somali region, the lowlands of Borena, Guji and Bale zones (Oromia region) and SNNPR; and it’s the second major rainy season for Afar region. The expected below normal rainfall in belg-benefiting areas will negatively impact belg land preparation and planting, as well as water and pasture availability; with a spiral effect on food and nutritional security of affected communities.
The agency urges farmers and all concerned bodies to take pre-emptive measures to minimize the humanitarian impact, including planting short cycle, moisture-tolerant crops; rain water harvesting; moisture conservation; and pasture management practices. Belg crops account for 30 to 60 per cent of the annual crop production in belg-dependent area.
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