Literature Review – Starvation Ravages East Africa –

www.thestar.com/news/world/2009/08/26/starvation_ravages_east_africa.html

A food crisis which has hit Somalia who already is suffering from war. This food crisis has forced millions of people in Somalia to actively seek aid and has also lead to the ‘World Food Programme’ the call for emergency funds, as a result of the increasing financial gap. The United Nation’s food security along with the Nutrition Analysis Unit produced a figure which is shocking – more than half Somalia’s 7.5million people need humanitarian aid. But also one in every five children are malnourished.
Maybe why the food crisis has hit Somalia so bad is down to the fact has effectively suffered from a double blow, escalating hunger and civil war. The civil war which is taking place makes it that much harder for charities such as World Food Programme to reach vulnerable people. The fighting in Somalia has created a viscous cycle as it has forced people off their land increasing the number of refugees by 40%. This then leads to these refugees being unable to provide for themselves impartially becoming chronically hungry.
Somalia isn’t the only country who is suffering a food crisis by a long stretch. Neighbouring Kenya who even though aren’t at war, but both people living in rural and urban settlements are going hungry as a result of drought. Kenya has suffered droughts for more than 3 consecutive summers, this ruins the land making it unsuitable to farm on and this in turn increases food prices in local markets. Future doesn’t look hopeful for Kenya with predictions that conditions are only to get worse. Which leaves Kenyans no little choice to rely on international aid – the crisis in Kenya lead to the food agency appealing for over $230million to provide emergency funds for nearly 4million Kenyans who cannot produce, or afford, daily food.
According to the UN agency Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda who are all situated in eastern Africa recently are becoming in need of international aid. But for these countries and Kenya and Somalia it also has devastating impacts on the economy and employment as generally they heavily depend on agriculture for exports and employment.