LESOTHO: Worst drought in decades puts hundreds of thousands of people at risk of severe hunger

The United Nations (U.N.) has launched an appeal for about 19 million US dollars for the small Southern African kingdom of Lesotho where it's estimated that more than 550,000 people, or about quarter of the population, could face severe hunger. The food crunch was triggered by the country's worst drought in at least 30 years, which the UN said had cut the staple maize crop harvest by more than 40 per cent. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that about 30 per cent of the country's bore holes, wells and water reservoirs have already dried up. "The soil on these fields has been hardened by lack of rain since last year, so we are having serious problems because of that," said Rre Ramatela, a farmer. The WFP also warns that about half of Lesotho's people live on less than one US dollar each day, which makes them especially vulnerable to climate change. "The food situation in this region is worse due to severe drought" says Mamasa Peete, a WFP representative. Close to 328,000 tonnes of cereals are now needed to feed hungry people in the country, which only harvested a meagre 72,000 tonnes of cereals during its last harvest, down from 126,000 tonnes last year. Sparse supplies and reduced harvests in neighbouring South Africa, the regional supplier, have helped to push prices beyond the reach of many in Lesotho, which is one of the poorest countries in the region. Lesotho's crisis has spurred wider calls for food aid to other parts of southern Africa. More than four million people in the region, including up to four million in Zimbabwe alone, are expected to need food assistance due to drought this year, the U.N. said.

ITN Source | August 7, 2007

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