Despite the government and its partners’ efforts to enhance food security interventions, food crisis continues to escalate in Ethiopia.

Development Diaries reports that a severe humanitarian crisis is affecting approximately four million people in drought-affected areas of Ethiopia.

That is according to the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (DRMC) and the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

It is understood that without an intensification of relief operations and augmented donor support, the situation may worsen.

Ethiopia’s agriculture has suffered greatly as a result of the drought, which has made already difficult issues worse and raised serious risks to livelihoods, food security, and economic stability.

The country, located in the Horn of Africa, is highly vulnerable to climate variability, and recurrent droughts have become a recurrent and formidable obstacle for the agricultural sector.

According to the DRMC and UN, repeated instances of drought over the preceding year have drastically affected agricultural productivity and food accessibility in the regions of Afar, Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, Southern, and Southwest.

The prolonged drought has destroyed animals and crops, worsening the already severe levels of food insecurity.

Also, severe water shortages for both human and animal use have been brought on by the drought, increasing the risk of water-borne illnesses.

Development Diaries calls for additional donor support to provide immediate aid to the nearly four million people confronting the emergency levels of food security in the country.

Photo source: United Nations