Ethiopia Needs Seed Help

 

May 3, 2016

1.7 million farmers in Ethiopia are in urgent need of seed for the upcoming planting season.  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is working to raise $10 million within two weeks to assist the farmers. That's because the cropping season is set to begin in just six weeks and it is this season that is responsible for producing 85% of the nation's food supply.  

According to the FAO website, "about 10.2 million people in Ethiopia are food insecure following successive crop failures and widespread livestock deaths caused by the El Niño-induced drought since early 2015. With this year's delayed and erratic spring rains, the situation may become worse in the most affected areas, particularly in the north."

Families in drought-stricken areas have consumed their seeds for food which has also depleted this season's seed reserves.  

 "If FAO is unable to raise $10 million within the next two weeks, " says Rosanne Marchesich, FAO response team leader, "to reach the farmers with seed that have not yet been reached, we will lose this opportunity to turn the situation around and what will happen is that we will see increased requirements for food aid instead of enabling the people to produce their own food for their own food security."

The FAO is also supporting livestock herders with distributions of survival animal feed.