Veterinary m-Health: VETAID East Africa: Drought Response Appeal; Web Review

Overview

More than 10 million people in East Africa are facing desperate food shortages following the worst drought in 60 years1
While there have been 28 droughts in the area over the past century, four have struck in the past decade alone, causing significant animal loss2
As of the July 1st 2011 in some parts of Kenya and Ethiopia, at least 60 percent of the herds have perished3
Livestock prices have dropped from Ksh. 6110 in April 2011 to the current Ksh.5000 for a mature bull together with increased migration with over 50-60km covered against the pre-drought distance of 8-12kms4
In some areas of northern Kenya and southern Somalia, rainfall was less than 30 percent of the 1995-2010 average5
‘30 per cent of the 600,000 cows in Garissa County have been swept by drought’ with goats and camels similarly affected, resulting in many of these former livestock owners roaming the streets of North Eastern urban areas.6
Pastoralists in Marsabit keep more than 2 million cows, camels, goats and sheep, worth an estimated $67m
Thomas Bett, district officer for Wajir East, talks of using solar and wind power to draw water for irrigation. "Lots of people have dropped out of pastoralism for good and there is nothing else for them to do in the settlements in the desert,"7
In East Africa in 2008 it was reported that pastoralists occupied 70% of the land in Kenya. Although numerically populations were small 1.5 Million of Kenya’s 30 million population.8

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Veterinary m-Health