Recurring
drought, conflict, and instability have led to severe food shortages. Many
countries have struggled with extreme poverty for decades, so they lack
government and community support systems to help their struggling families.
A
compressed cycle of recurring drought is plunging the same communities into
drought again before they have a chance to recover sufficiently from the last
one.
In
South Sudan, where people fled their homes because of violence, few farmers
have been able to harvest a crop. This limits what is available at community
markets and raises food prices. Also, during the rainy season, 60% of the
country is inaccessible by roads, which limits transportation of food aid as
well as goods sent to market.
From
March through May 2018, long rains were 150% to 200% above normal in some East
Africa locations. This brought some relief to herders as livestock benefitted
from renewed grasslands. However, in many places, flash floods and overflowing
rivers wiped out crops, roads, and bridges, thwarting both cultivation and
relief activities.
In
such conditions, poor families can’t afford enough food to keep their children
healthy, and eventually, they need emergency help from government agencies or
aid groups when they run out of money and food. We’re not talking low funds or
food that’s been in our pantry that’s well past its expiration. We’re talking
about not having any money or any food at all — nothing.
The
longer these factors persist, the harder it is for families to stave off the
effects of lost livelihoods and homes.
A
Guest Editorial
