Snapshot of Somalia: A country dominated by livestock and livestock peoples

Posted on 4 Aug 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

A Somali nomad with his camel on the way to the deep-sea commercial seaport of Berbera, in the Gulf of Aden, in the north, where live sheep, camels and other livestock are exported to the Gulf states (photo on Flickr by Charles Fred). The information below is from the website of Vétérinaires sans Frontières-Germany. ‘Somalia has been … Continue reading →

Drought / East Africa / Ethiopia / Food Security / Kenya / Pastoralism / Somalia / Vulnerability

When the last cow dies, the children are next

Posted on 3 Aug 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

A mother in Somalia carries the body of her child, who died of hunger, in the last famine to occur in that country, in 1992 (photo on Flickr by Jerry Mannel Reghunadh). Starving Somali families are waiting till their last animal is dead before making a dangerous trek across the desert to refugee camps. The Los … Continue reading →

Drought / East Africa / Ethiopia / Kenya / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Uganda / Vulnerability

It takes months to prepare properly for a disaster, and long-term development to prevent one–John Vidal

Posted on 3 Aug 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

John Vidal in the Guardian argues that ‘to pin this crisis on drought or climate change is wrong. This is an entirely predictable, traditional, man-made disaster, with little new about it except the numbers of people on the move and perhaps the numbers of children dying near the cameras. . . . ‘Aid agencies and … Continue reading →

Drought / East Africa / Ethiopia / Food Security / Kenya / Nutrition / Pastoralism / Somalia / Vulnerability

Fasting and famine: When praying turns to preying

Posted on 3 Aug 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

The new moon, which when sighted begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan (photo on Flickr by On Being). As Ramadan begins this week, it is estimated that some 1.4 million Somalis are ‘internally displaced’, with an average of more that 12,000 people displaced every month this year due to drought. Most of these people … Continue reading →

Drought / East Africa / Ethiopia / Food Security / Kenya / Pastoralism / Somalia / Vulnerability

‘Development aid works’–Look at Ethiopia’s greater resilience in this drought

Posted on 2 Aug 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Herding in Debub Omo, Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s Region, southern Ethiopia (photo on Flickr by CharlesFred). ‘There is a famine in the Horn of Africa. . . . It is at times like this that we get a lot of half-baked commentary about famine. We are told that the problem is drought, or over-population, or … Continue reading →

Camels / Drought / East Africa / Kenya / Pastoralism / Vulnerability

Hunger in Kenya’s Isiolo at ’emergency’ level

Posted on 2 Aug 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Camel herding between Kenya’s northern towns of Moyale and Isiolo (photo on Flickr by azulnocturnal). ‘At a streetside kiosk in Isiolo, the price of camel bones for soup has jumped 250 per cent this year to 100 shillings ($1.10) a kilo, straining the pockets of many in the drought-hit eastern Kenyan town. In a bitter … Continue reading →

Drought / East Africa / Eritrea / Ethiopia / Geodata / Kenya / Pastoralism / Somalia / Vulnerability

Emergency hunger update for Horn of Africa as of 29 July 2011

Posted on 1 Aug 2011 by Susan MacMillan • 1 Comment

Updated information as of 29 July 2011 by the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the drought in the Horn of Africa (illustration credit: FEWS NET and OCHA). Food insecurity remains at emergency levels across parts of the Horn of Africa, famine … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Drought / East Africa / Food Security / USA / Vulnerability

Feast and famine in Kenya: The real emergency is lack of aid to help farmers produce more food–Roger Thurow

Posted on 1 Aug 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Landscape of Kenya (photo on Flickr by Tim Cronin/Center for International Forestry Research). Former Wall Street Journal veteran reporter Roger Thurow, now senior fellow for Global Agriculture and Food Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, last Friday (29 Jul 2011) described the paradox of great harvest and great hunger existing at the same time … Continue reading →

Drought / East Africa / Eritrea / Ethiopia / Food Security / Nutrition / Pastoralism / Somalia / USA / Vulnerability

Washington Post coverage of Africa’s drought/hunger crisis–From advice on livestock herding to presidential offers of partnership

Posted on 31 Jul 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Return to traditional agricultural approaches—William G Mosley A recent op-ed in the Washington Post, on the topic of the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa, argues that ‘while reactions of grave concern over this unfolding tragedy are natural, its causes are not. . . . The semi-arid Horn of Africa and the entire Sahelian … Continue reading →

Cattle / Drought / East Africa / Ethiopia / Kenya / Pastoralism / Somalia / Vulnerability

Saving cattle to save lives

Posted on 30 Jul 2011 by Susan MacMillan • 1 Comment

Elderly woman, Kenya (photo on Flickr by Curt Carnemark / World Bank). ‘. . . “For pastoral families, livestock is their life. If they lose their animals, they have no way of feeding their families, and they’ll need food aid to survive. And even once the crisis passes, if their livestock have died, they’ll have … Continue reading →