Thirty-day rainfall surpluses continue to grow across western Ethiopia and western South Sudan

1) Poorly distributed and significantly below average seasonal rainfall has resulted in deteriorating ground conditions since January. This has negatively impacted crops and livestock throughout many parts of southern Angola and northern Namibia.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Fifteen countries from Africa’s most drought prone regions are meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to share practices on how to best address recurrent droughts and chronic food insecurity on the continent.

Governments and organizations from Africa’s Horn and Sahel regions are showcasing initiatives on some of the good agricultural practices with a view of easing the impact of recurrent droughts on the continent’s productivity. Both regions suffer recurrent and severe droughts, sometimes leading to famine.

1) The five-week delay in the onset of the March-May seasonal rainfall and the erratic and below-average nature of the Kiremt rains have significantly impacted ground moisture and cropping activities in the central region of Ethiopia. Although rainfall has been consistent in the western parts of the country since the middle of May, accumulated rainfall has been well below-average since the start of the Kiremt rainy season in June.

1) The five-week delay in the onset of the March-May seasonal rainfall had significantly impacted ground moisture and cropping activities in the central region of Ethiopia. Although rainfall has been consistent in the western parts of the country since the middle of May, accumulated rainfall has been below-average. Another week of increased rainfall is forecast during the next seven days. This could help to reduce moisture deficits and aid cropping activities in the region.

Temegnush Dhabi’s two-hectare farm in East Shewa in central Ethiopia looks very different today than it did three years ago. Back then, she grew mostly teff, a popular type of cereal grown in Ethiopia. Teff fetched a reasonable price at market, but demanded hard labor and expensive fertilizer.

PRESS RELEASE Nº 147/2011

Addis Ababa, 16 November 2011- The African Union Commission (AUC), through the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, hosted the Meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) today Wednesday 16 November 2011, at the African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Imagine walking for two hours to get to school. And then walking two more hours to get home again. Whether slogging through mud in the brief but intense rainy season or travelling under the heat of a blazing hot sun, kids in a small Ethiopian farming community make the daily trek with a spring in their step. Their energy levels are high.

This seems a little out of place in Tigray, a northern province in Ethiopia plagued by droughts, where there never seems to be enough food to go around.
But the taste of change is being ladled out at their school.