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Sri Lanka

Drought: food security and livelihoods affected by erratic weather, Sri Lanka - April 2014

Attachments

Report on the key findings of a survey conducted in April 2014 to assess the severity of the 2014 Maha season drought, and the impact this had on food security and livelihoods.

KEY FINDNGS

  • The Maha 2014 drought seriously damaged agricultural production and is threatening to significantly limit the upcoming yala harvest.

  • Three consecutive years of natural disasters has undermined household resilience: populations in affected areas have built up unsustainable levels of debts, have insufficient access to water for irrigation, have limited quality seed supply and are exposed to a continue decline in agricultural income.

  • As a consequence, food insecurity has increased dramatically to an estimated 768,000. More than double the caseload in 2012.

  • Household food consumption deteriorated sharply: 18 percent of households consume inadequate diets of low calorie and/or diversity. This used to be around 6 percent. A threefold increase.

  • Immediate coordinated relief and agricultural inputs specifically targeting the vulnerable households, are recommended to prevent a further collapse in household resilience.