Ebola outbreak puts harvest at risk, and increases food prices

Disruptions in food trade and marketing in the three
West African countries most affected by Ebola have made
food increasingly expensive and hard to come by, while
labor shortages are putting the upcoming harvest season at
serious risk, FAO warned today.
In Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, quarantine zones and
restrictions on people's movement aimed at combating the
spread of the virus, although necessary, have seriously
curtailed the movement and marketing of food. This has
lead to panic buying, food shortages and significant food
price hikes on some commodities, especially in urban
centers, according to a special alert issued today by FAO's
Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS).
At the same time, the main harvest season for two key
crops - rice and maize - is just weeks away. Labor
shortages on farms due to movement restrictions and
migration to other areas will seriously impact farm
production, jeopardizing the food security of large numbers
of people, the alert says.
Generally adequate rains during the 2014 cropping season
had previously pointed to likely favorable harvests in the
main Ebola-affected countries. But now food production -
the areas most affected by the outbreak are among the most
productive in Sierra Leone and Liberia - stands to be
seriously scaled back.
Likewise, production of cash crops like palm oil, cocoa and
rubber - on which the livelihoods and food purchasing
power of many families depend - is expected to be seriously
affected.
"Access to food has become a pressing concern for many
people in the three affected countries and their neighbors,"
said Bukar Tijani, FAO Regional Representative for Africa.
"With the main harvest now at risk and trade and
movements of goods severely restricted, food insecurity is
poised to intensify in the weeks and months to come. The
situation will have long-lasting impacts on farmers'
livelihoods and rural economies," he added.
Major spikes in food prices
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are all net cereal
importers, with Liberia being the most reliant on external
supplies. The closure of some border crossings and the
isolation of border areas where the three countries intersect
- as well as reduced trade from seaports, the main conduit
for large-scale commercial imports - are resulting in tighter
supplies and sharply increasing food prices.
In Monrovia, Liberia, a recently conducted rapid market
assessment indicates that prices of some food items have
increased rapidly - for example, in Monrovia's Redlight
Market the price of cassava went up 150 percent within the
first weeks of August.
"Even prior to the Ebola outbreak, households in some of the
affected areas were spending up to 80 percent of their
incomes on food," said Vincent Martin, Head of FAO's
Dakar-based Resilience Hub, which is coordinating the
agency's response. "Now these latest price spikes are
effectively putting food completely out of their reach. This
situation may have social repercussions that could lead to
subsequent impact on the disease containment."
The depreciation of national currencies in Sierra Leone and
Liberia in recent months is expected to exert further upward
price pressure on imported food commodities.
Response efforts
To meet short-term food relief needs, the UN World Food
Programme (WFP) has launched a regional emergency
operation targeting some 65,000 tonnes of food to 1.3
million people.
At the same time, FAO's special alert says that "rapid
assessments are required to identify the type of measures
that are feasible to mitigate the impact of labour shortages
during the harvesting period and for related post-harvest
activities."
And measures to revive internal trade are essential to ease
supply constraints and mitigate further food price increases,
it notes.
Preventing further loss of human life and stopping the
spread of the virus remain the top priorities at this time.
FAO has joined the coordinated UN effort to support affected
countries, is in daily communication with WHO and other
key actors, and has personnel in West Africa aiding
technical and logistical efforts.
It is critical that rural communities understand which
practices pose the highest risks of human-to-human
transmission as well as the potential spill-over from
wildlife. Toward that end, FAO has activated its networks of
local animal health clubs, community animal health
workers, producer organizations, forestry contacts and
agriculture extension and rural radio services to help
UNICEF and WHO communicate risk to affected populations.