Somalia on Alert Due to Low Rainfall
Following below-average April to June Gu 2016 rains, the eastern Horn of Africa has received little to no rainfall during the first half of the October to December Deyr season. Pasture and crops have been severely affected. Current vegetation conditions are the worst on record in many areas, surpassing those observed during the 2010/11 drought.
Forecasts suggest that rainfall performance will not improve significantly during the remainder of the season, meaning that both December/January crop harvests and livestock productivity are expected to decline sharply. Analysis for the March to May 2017 season also suggest the possibility of below-average rainfall.
Food security implications of the current drought in the eastern Horn of Africa are of greatest concern in Somalia given that a second consecutive poor season in the country’s pastoral and primary agricultural areas appears likely.
UN Photo/Tobin Jones