Food security affected by reduced rains #kenya

Below average rains, increased food prices and conflicts,
have contributed to a 15 percent increase in the number of
people requiring food assistance. A Long Rains food
security assessment recently released by the National
Drought Management Authority (NDMA) estimates that 1.5
million people are acutely food insecure and will require
immediate food assistance over the next six months
(September 2014 - February 2015). This is almost double
the 850,000 that were in need during the same period last
year.
With the peak of the lean season yet to set in, and the next
rains expected in mid-October, the food and nutrition
security situation will likely worsen, prompting the need for
urgent response. The poor rains resulted in below-average
crop production and weak recovery of rangeland conditions.
In pastoral and agro pastoral areas, forage conditions were
fair to poor with 70 percent to 80 percent of ground water
sources reported to be exhausted. The current areas of
concern include parts of Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera,
Samburu, Baringo and West Pokot. In the Arid areas the
large majority of counties have general acute malnutrition
(GAM) rates that are critical (>15%) or very critical (>20%)
and this is a significant deterioration compared to last year.
WFP is currently providing general food distributions (GFD)
to 530,000 people in Kenya. That number will rise based on
the current situation.
WFP is also providing cash and food assistance to 700,000
vulnerable people in order for them to build assets at
household and community levels which enhance their
resilience to shocks. Support focuses on rainwater
harvesting for crop and livestock production, rehabilitation
of degraded land, and increased production of drought-
tolerant and high value cash crops.
" Through cash and food for asset programmes WFP is
meeting the immediate requirements of vulnerable people in
need," said Ronald Sibanda, WFP Country Director Kenya.
"We are working closely with government and partners to
help people permanently out of food insecurity and into
diversified sustainable livelihoods," he added.
Sustainability is embedded into these activities by ensuring
that communities participate in project and problem
identification, planning and implementation.
Going forward, WFP will support government at national and
county levels in developing long-term hunger solutions in
alignment with the Government's Ending Drought
Emergency Plan, Second Medium Term Plan (2013-2017) of
Vision 2030, and the 2014-2018 United Nations
Development Assistance Framework.