“With early indicators pointing to a likely food crisis in 2012, with people at particularly high risk in Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad, now is the time to invest in preventative measures,” the charitable aid agency said.
“Millions of people in West Africa could be protected from a serious food crisis if preparations are scaled up across West Africa,” Oxfam added in a statement received in Dakar.
Governments across the region “should scale up efforts to make sure people have money to buy food, receive animal feed for their livestock and emergency food is stocked and ready to be distributed,” it added.
Factors
Early warning systems have identified a range of factors that are contributing to the coming crisis.
“Low rainfall and water levels, poor harvests and lack of pasture, high food prices and a drop in remittances from migrants are all causing serious problems.”
According to national early warning systems, it continued, cereal production is down compared to the five-year average, with Mauritania and Chad showing deficits of over 50% compared to last year.
National food reserves are also dangerously low, while prices of some key cereals are up to 40% higher than the five-year average.
While evaluations are still ongoing to identify those most at risk, early reports suggest 6 million people in Niger and 2.9 million people in Mali live in areas vulnerable to the coming crisis, while in Mauritania 700 000 people – over one-quarter of the population – are reported to be at risk.
330 600 Niger kids at risk
Burkina Faso and Chad are also at risk, Oxfam said.
The statements from Oxfam followed a similar warning by the United Nations, which on Friday appealed for urgent action to save a million children at risk of malnutrition.
The Sahel is an arid transitional zone stretching south of the Sahara desert and extending from Africa’s Atlantic coast to the Red Sea.
According to Unicef, the most pressing needs are in the west African country of Niger, where 330 600 children under five are estimated to be at risk.
– SAPA
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