UN agency's appeal for more agricultural inputs

Extra agricultural inputs are needed in Eritrea to reduce the country's dependency on emergency food aid and improve the ability of rural populations to adapt to recurrent drought conditions, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. "Five years of severe drought in Eritrea, coupled with the ongoing border dispute with Ethiopia, have exhausted the coping mechanisms of vulnerable farming families throughout the country, contributing to widespread poverty and food insecurity," FAO said in a statement. More than 60 percent of the country's 2.3 million people currently depend on food aid. "Seeds, farming tools, animal feed and veterinary support are also needed," FAO said. According to a report FAO and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) compiled in January, Eritrea covered on average 30 percent of its national cereal-production requirements over the past 12 years. However, in 2004, the country produced only 15 percent of its annual cereal requirements, according to the report. FAO figures showed that of the 1.9 million vulnerable people who required food aid in 2004, only 1.3 million received it. Approximately 40 percent of all Eritrean children and an estimated 41 percent of all women are chronically malnourished. "Last year's meagre harvest has already been exhausted and the hunger season, which arrived two months early in March, is expected to continue until the next harvest in November," FAO said. Many households in Eritrea cope with diminished food stores by eating less, borrowing food, or selling or eating their animals and seeds. Some people take on non-agricultural labour, migrate or rely on remittances. Because of the ongoing border dispute with Ethiopia, an estimated 300,000 Eritrean men currently serve in the country's military, reducing the agricultural labour pool and opportunities for income from other employment. In some areas, women, who often are barred by cultural norms from farming activities, head more than 50 percent of households. "With large numbers of men doing compulsory national and military- service requirements, there is a shortage of skilled manpower," FAO said. FAO's activities in the country this year have included the distribution of wheat bran for the livestock of 2,300 families, the rehabilitation of 12 veterinary clinics, seed procurement and the distribution of seeds and tools. Last week, US President George Bush pledged US $674 million while British Prime Minister Tony Blair promised $300 million to ease famine in Ethiopia, Eritrea and other African countries.