ADDIS ABABA, June 8 (Xinhua) — The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Friday called for urgent agricultural support to vulnerable Ethiopians facing extreme weather events and conflicts.
Noting that the East African country faces major humanitarian challenges, mainly driven by climate and economic shocks, armed conflicts and food chain threats, FAO, in its latest Ethiopia humanitarian response plan report that was issued Friday, said climate-related shocks have left the country particularly vulnerable.
“The combination of these extreme weather events, conflicts and other shocks is deteriorating the food security situation in the country. An estimated 21.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across the country, of whom 13 million require agricultural assistance,” said the latest FAO report.
FAO said the challenges are underlined by economic and physical constraints that hinder access to key food commodities, even when adequate production has been achieved at the national level.
It stressed that restoring livelihoods is fundamental to the humanitarian response, as over 80 percent of Ethiopians live in rural areas and rely on agriculture to feed and provide for themselves.
According to FAO, timely agricultural assistance will enable households to produce enough food to feed their families for at least six months and reduce any further increase in food insecurity that could peak from October 2024 into 2025, if no help is provided.
