Food Insecurity in the Sahel region
1 February 2012
More than 9 million people in the Sahel region of Africa are facing a food crisis in the coming months. A combination of drought, poor harvests, high food prices, unemployment, reduced remittances from migrants and conflict has led to food shortages and malnutrition in many countries across the region including Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and parts of Nigeria, Cameroon and Senegal.
Low rainfall has led to a reduction in food production, pushing prices higher than many people can afford. In Mauritania agriculture production is down by 75% and in Niger some cereals are almost 40% more expensive than they were just last month. A UN study blames climate change for the droughts and severe floods that are occurring more and more across the Sahel and West Africa.
There is also growing violence in the region, from militant groups such as Boko Haram and terrorists that have found access to weapons easier during and after the nearby Libyan civil war. The Libyan conflict has also led to many migrants returning home to escape the violence and this reduces incomes and increases the need for resources for many families across the Sahel region.
Early action is needed to get food into the area before expensive emergency supplies are needed. NGOs in the area are also working on hygiene promotion campaigns to try to reduce infections and illnesses which add to the disaster. Hopefully this will not be ‘too little, too late’ as suggested by a report from the Sahel working group made up of NGOs.
Apart from the obvious dangers of malnutrition, floods and poor hygiene add more health risks. Please read InterHealth's guidance and information sheets about Flooding Related Health Dangers and Water Purification and Hygiene for more information.
Source: Reuters, ReliefWeb, Guardian
