Lesotho's Worst Drought in 30 Years is Causing Humanitarian Crisis

Lesotho is a small, land-locked country in the southern tip of South Africa. It covers just under 12,000 square miles, with an estimated population in the neighborhood of 2 million people. The majority of the people are poor and live in rural or agricultural areas.

Lesotho declared a state of emergency on July 9 as a result of the country's worst drought in 30 years. Higher than usual temperatures and no rain have destroyed the most recent maize and sorghum crops. As a result, it is feared that as much as one third of the population will require humanitarian assistance before the next harvest in May 2008.

The Rural Poverty Portal website reports that poverty is already deeply entrenched in the rural areas of Lesotho, where most people live and farm on land that is seriously degraded and poorly tended. Most farms are small and produce small yields even in productive years. Therefore, with agricultural production steadily declining for many years - even decades - a year of serious drought such as is occurring means a humanitarian crisis is inevitable.

Although South Africa supplies about 70 percent of Lesotho's food needs, it's cereal production has been affected by drought conditions too. As a result, prices have increased, which has meant that the poorest families in Lesotho are unable to buy what they need.

The humanitarian community is appealing for $18.9 million to assist the government of Lesotho, which has already allocated $12 million for work projects and $6 million for agricultural purposes, as well as implemented a plan to subsidize maize meal. But humanitarian relief for about six months is needed for food and water, sanitation, health care, and security, among other things.

The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated $3.8 million as of July 25. Of that, $710,748 is for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), $1.45 million for the World Food Program (WFP), and $1.66 million to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The money will address the most urgent needs in Lesotho, such as establishing therapeutic feeding centers, providing agricultural assistance, and emergency food assistance.

John Holmes is the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator. In the press release he states: "We hope that at the end of a fully funded flash appeal, food production will have recovered and farmers will be better cushioned against future shocks. The international community must work closely with the Government of Lesotho to try to ensure that vulnerable households enjoy better food security in the long term."

Sources:

Press release; http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-75LNAT?OpenDocument

Rural Poverty Portal, Rural poverty in Lesotho; http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/africa/lso/index.htm