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Drought intervention beyond the emergency

Monday February 20 2017
livestock

Cattle from six counties that have been affected by the drought arrive at the Kenya Meat Commission on February 8, 2017. PHOTO | FILE

Kenya and its neighbours are experiencing a severe drought. In Kenya, it has affected 23 out of the country’s 27 counties. It is estimated that 2.7 million people and even more livestock are affected.

The Kenyan government has led a response programme since October 2016. However, the number of communities in need of relief has increased, outstripping the resources from national and county governments.

This past week, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the drought a national disaster. The declaration should enable the government and development partners to intensify emergency interventions. From February 7 to 8, we accompanied three Cabinet Secretaries to Marsabit, Mandera and Wajir to gauge the progress of the current drought response.

The relief effort is well co-ordinated, relying on drought response plans drawn up by counties with the support of the National Drought Management Authority. The biggest challenge is that finances and equipment are not equal to the magnitude of the problem.

The critical needs are water, for human and livestock use, food, and livestock feed. Much of the livestock in the counties we visited has been moved to Isiolo and Laikipia counties, which are perceived to have pasture and water.

The drought is seen primarily as a disaster for livestock. Migration has deprived communities of their basic foods — milk and meat. Recent data by the Food and Agriculture Organisation indicates high levels of malnutrition in pastoral areas, particularly among children.

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One of the notable interventions is livestock offtake — a practice whereby farmers sell their animals for slaughter to reduce the size of the herd and avoid the risk of drought-induced mortality. The offtake is being done by the Kenya Meat Commission.

Drought occurs as frequently at every five years or less. It imposes a high economic cost in terms of funding relief operations, loss of household income due to loss of assets or higher food prices, mortality of livestock — and in severe droughts, loss of human lives. The Post Disaster Needs Assessment, conducted by the World Bank after the last major drought in Kenya in 2011, estimated the costs of losses at $21.1 billion.

The rate of climate change is high and drought will recur more regularly, with successive incidents being more severe than preceding ones.

Despite a concerted effort by the government of Kenya to address development in drought prone areas, and a significant donor response in terms of resilience programming, the response remains focused on humanitarian interventions — saving the lives of affected people.

Once the drought has passed and has ceased to be frontline news, we go back to “business as usual” mode. But how long can we afford to operate in this mode?

Scientists have warned that Africa is getting hotter, and droughts will recur. It is therefore imperative to focus on the underlying factors. The government’s Ending Drought Emergencies programme is an example of this, but it lacks the scale to have a widespread and lasting impact.

Drought is linked to climatic variability, environmental degradation and increasing populations, and the impact on traditional mobility and resource conflict is leading to overstocking, overgrazing and the denudation of pastureland and deforestation.

Reversing rangeland degradation is a must for ending drought emergencies.

Forest cover can be re-established, and reseeding of well-adapted grass species will ensure good pasture for livestock and provide soil cover against wind and water run-off. Establishment of livestock markets and a consistent advocacy of destocking or regular offtake can help reduce pressure on the ecosystem.

Above all, livestock movement must be supported, but regulated, and a financial value must be placed on forage. These issues should be part of policy discussions at national, county and community levels. Kenya must invest heavily in pastoral governance systems and the reclamation of drought prone areas. It will take a lot of effort, time and money.

Gabriel Rugalema is the representative of the FAO in Kenya. Robert Allport is a programme co-ordinator for the FAO in Kenya

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