Food Insecurity, 12-08-2011
Poor rains in 2011 led to below-average agricultural yields and pasture conditions for livestock in most of Mauritania, particularly in the central, south, and southeastern regions of Hodh el Gharby, Hodh el Chargui, Assaba, Tagant, Brakna, Gorgol, and Guidimakha. As a result, at least 750,000 people—more than 21 percent of the nation’s population—may be food-insecure by January 2012, according to USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network predictions. The hunger season, which normally ends with the September harvest, continued in most rural areas, forcing many food-insecure people to engage in negative coping strategies and earlier migration to other regions or countries in search of labor opportunities. Rising food prices further affected household food security. In addition, pastoralists began seasonal herd migration several months earlier than usual. The 2011 grain production shortfall resulted not only in food insecurity, but also a lack of seed stock for the 2012 planting season. Surveys indicated high levels of global acute malnutrition in five regions heavily affected by lack of rain.
On December 8, 2011, U.S. Ambassador Jo Ellen Powell declared a disaster due to the effects of food insecurity in Mauritania. In September 2011, USAID/OFDA staff travelled to Mauritania to assess humanitarian conditions and needs. In FY 2011, agriculture and food security, nutrition, and livelihoods programs—supported by more than $4.7 million in funding from USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA)—assisted more than 1.3 million individuals vulnerable to food insecurity.
For information on additional USAID disaster responses, please see OFDA Annual Reports.
Back to Top ^
|
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
