Sudan 6.7 million people need food aid.

THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) on 17 February 2006 said that while Sudan was likely to reap a reasonably good harvest in 2005/2006, almost 7 million people would still require food aid over the coming year. Most of the needy have either been forced to flee their homes due to fighting or are in the process of returning home following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Moreover, vulnerable households for the most part will be unable to benefit from the harvest due to the prevailing high cereal prices.

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The FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Sudan, carried out in late 2005, found that the country's overall cereal production in 2005/2006 amounted to about 5.3 million tonnes, 55 per cent higher than the very poor harvest in 2004/2005 and 17 per cent above the average of the previous five years. Favourable rainfall, low incidence of pests and diseases, improved security in southern Sudan and slightly improved security in Darfur during planting time that started in May 2005 resulted in an increased area of cultivation. The total cultivated land across the country was 57 per cent more than that of the previous year.

"This is a heartening picture compared to previous years, and the people of Sudan need all the help they can get, particularly from nature. But many also need the help of the international community, especially in the troubled region of Darfur and in southern Sudan, which is just beginning to recover from more than 20 years of civil war", said WFP Country Director Ramiro Lopes da Silva.

Despite the estimated above-average crop production, the Assessment Mission found that some 6.7 million people would require about 800,000 tonnes of targeted food assistance in 2006. These beneficiaries include more than 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), some 900,000 returnees and close to 3.5 million highly vulnerable people in Darfur and the marginal areas of central and eastern parts of Sudan. Unequal income distribution, problems of physical and financial access to food due to war, displacement and poor infrastructure, a weak marketing system and economic isolation are some of the main factors behind the food insecurity of millions of people and their exposure to destitution, hunger and malnutrition.

The Mission also found that the timely provision of appropriate seeds and tools in 2005 by FAO and other humanitarian agencies benefited a large number of needy farmers. A WFP road rehabilitation project in the south has increased trade, especially between Uganda and the state of Central Equatoria, as well as between Kenya and the state of Eastern Equatoria. But attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army in the south remain a constant threat to any return to normal living. Some key roads remain impassable, thereby inhibiting large-scale trade.

WFP plans to mobilize and distribute 731,000 tonnes of food to more than 6 million people across Sudan in 2006. In addition, assistance will be provided through support for recovery activities and therapeutic and supplementary feeding projects to ensure that the most vulnerable are reached. FAO appealed for $40 million to support its agricultural relief and recovery activities throughout Sudan in 2006, which include the distribution of seeds and tools, fishing equipment and livestock medicines to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable families, particularly returnees and IDPs.

"Timely assistance to the agricultural sector, including emergency support to returnees and other vulnerable farming communities before the start of the next cropping season in April/May in southern Sudan and June/July in northern Sudan, is urgently required", said Henri Josserand, Chief of the FAO Global Information and Early Warning System.

RELATED ARTICLE: SUDAN TOTAL EMERGENCY FOOD AID REQUIREMENTS BY REGION IN 2006

The results of several food security and nutrition assessments undertaken in late 2005 suggest that the overall food security situation should improve in 2006. Analysis shows that the overall food deficit for the vulnerable populations will average about 35 per cent (4 months). The Mission estimates that approximately 6.7 million people will require emergency food assistance, amounting to 800,000 tonnes of assorted food commodities--a decrease of about 6 per cent in the number of beneficiaries and 13 per cent in food needs when compared to the operational plans of 2005. The cereal component of the total food requirements would be 555,000 tonnes, or about 70 per cent.

The bulk of this requirement will be met through emergency food assistance from WFP. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and non-governmental organizations operating with independent food aid pipelines, primarily in locations where WFP does not, are expected to provide 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes of food aid commodities. As in previous years, careful planning relief and rehabilitation activities is necessary to ensure not only that the locations needing assistance are adequately covered but also that duplication of food assistance is avoided in States where several agencies may be operating at the same time.

Operations in Greater Darfur region will remain the largest component of the emergency operation, accounting for about 45 per cent of the total beneficiaries and 66 per cent of the total food requirements. South Sudan accounts for about 31 per cent and 20 per cent, while eastern Sudan is expected to have about 5 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively. The three areas will account for 12 per cent of the total beneficiaries and 8 per cent of the total food aid requirements. It is expected that about 7 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively, will be needed in other areas of Sudan, including Khartoum, north Kordofan and White Nile. This includes a contingency for food assistance for about 300,000 people for three months in case of unexpected events, such as flooding or conflict-related internally displaced persons or refugee influx.

Source: Special Report. FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Sudan. 15 February 2006.

                   Darfur     East     South

Beneficiaries      3,000,000  320,000  2,100,000
Food Aid (tonnes)    530,000   20,000    160,000
Beneficiaries (%)         45        5         31
Food Aid (%)              66        3         20

                   Three areas  Other    Total

Beneficiaries      790,000      500,000  6,710,000
Food Aid (tonnes)   66,000       24,000    800,000
Beneficiaries (%)       12            7        100
Food Aid (%)             8            3        100

The beneficiary and emergency food needs information provided is based
on the findings of the latest multi-agency food security and nutrition
assessments, including Darfur Emergency Food Security and Nutrition
Survey, December 2005, and Annual Needs Assessment (ANA), January 2006.