NAKAPIRIPIRIT OCTOBER DROUGHT BULLETIN 2012

Transcription

1 NAKAPIRIPIRIT OCTOBER DROUGHT BULLETIN 2012 AGRICULTURAL AGRO-PASTORAL PASTORAL TREND: IMPROVE TREND: IMPROVE TREND: WORSEN SECTORS LIVESTOCK ALARM CROPS NORMAL WATER NORMAL LIVELIHOODS ALARM SECTORS LIVESTOCK ALARM CROPS NORMAL WATER NORMAL LIVELIHOODS ALARM SECTORS LIVESTOCK CROPS WATER LIVELIHOODS ALARM NORMAL NORMAL ALARM EWPC(Eearly Warning Phase Classification Normal Alert Alarm Emergency SITUATIONAL OVERVIEW The overall district was considered to be in the ALERT across all the livelihood zones. This was mainly because the district has continued to be hit by the zoonotic disease brucellosis, the livestock have continued suffering from diseases like CBPP and CCPP yet no vaccinations were carried out during the month, the GAM and Sam rates have continued to be high across all livelihood zones. The Agricultural and Agro pastoral zones are projected to improve since food is readily available as most of the farmers have just harvested. However, the pastoral zone is projected to worsen since no interventions have been put in place to reduce the effect of the livestock diseases that have continuously threatened the livestock. The district therefore advises on the following; Recommendations LIVESTOCK SECTOR CROP SECTOP LIVELIHOOD SECTOR MAAIF and Partners dealing in livestock Communities are advised to use the harvest With nutrition partners withdrawing e.g. Concern worldwide, the interventions are called upon to support the sparingly to sustain them to the next harvesting district is calling upon for more support to enable them carry on these district in acquiring the remaining CBPP, period. activities (nutrition activities). Brucellosi and CCPP vaccines Farmers are advised to dry their harvest well before There should be improved political involvement in health related There should be continuous sensitization of the storage so as to avoid germination in the granaries. interventions. community especially at kraal level on the Avoid using the harvest in none productive parties Scaling up of the Supplementary Feeding Programs and Therapeutic precautionary measure of how to prevent the like initiation traditional ceremonies, marriage Feeding Programs in the district. spread of livestock diseases like brucellosis ceremonies etc. Continuous mobilization of VHTs to screen children for Severe and Farmers are advised to spray their animals and Avoid selling crops but store them in the existing moderate acute malnutrition. keep the kraals clean to minimize disease spread. food stores in Namalu, Kakamongole and Nabilatuk Regular supervision by the DHT and Nutrition and health stakeholders Livestock owners are advised to report any animal at the TFP and STP sites to ensure all children referred are admitted diseases to the relevant authorities in time. and correct admission and discharge criteria s continue to be Page 1 employed during periods of high scale loads. This drought Bulletin is a representation of the following sub counties; Namalu, Kakomongole, Loregae, Town council and Nabilatuk Sub counties.

2 LIVESTOCK CROPS ANALYSIS OF SECTORS PER LIVELIHOOD ZONE PASTORAL AGRO-PASTORAL AGRICULTURAL COMMENTS / RECOMMENDATIONS ALARM ALARM ALARM 1. Body condition (Normal) 2. Livestock Migration (Normal) 3. Disease incidence (Emergency) 4. Access to pasture (Normal) 1. Sorghum planted (Normal) 2. Germination (Normal) 3. Plant color (Normal) 4. Pests and diseases(normal) 5. Sorghum yield (Normal) 1. Body condition (Normal) 2. Livestock Migration (Normal) 3. Disease incidence (Emergency) 4. Access to pastures (Normal) 1. Body condition (Normal) 2. Livestock Migration (Normal) 3. Disease incidence (Emergency) 4. Access to pasture (Normal) NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL 1. Sorghum planted (Normal) 2. Germination (Normal) 3. Plant color (Normal) 4. Pests and diseases (Normal) 5. Sorghum Yield ( Normal) 1. Sorghum planted (Normal) 2. Germination (Normal) 3. Plant Color (Normal) 4. Pests and diseases (Normal) 5. Sorghum Yield (Normal) The livestock sector has remained at ALARM. This is mainly attributed to the prevailing disease situation especially CBPP, CCPP and brucellosis that has remained rampant in the district which have put the livestock disease incidence at emergency since no intervention have been put in place yet. Recommendation: MAAIF and Partners dealing in livestock interventions are called upon to support the district in acquiring the remaining CBPP vaccines There should be continuous sensitization of the community especially at kraal level on the precautionary measure of how to prevent the spread of livestock diseases like brucellosis Farmers are advised to spray their animals and keep the kraals clean to minimize disease spread. Livestock owners are advised to report any animal diseases to the relevant authorities in time. The crop sector was generally considered to be in the NORMAL stage. This was mainly attributed to the normal harvest experienced across the district. Recommendations Communities are advised to use the harvest sparingly to sustain them to the next harvesting period Farmers are advised to dry their harvest well before storage so as to avoid germination in the granaries Avoid using the harvest in none productive parties like initiation ceremonies, marriage ceremonies etc. Avoid selling crops but store them in the existing food stores in Namalu, Kakamongole and Nabilatuk WATER NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL 1. Rainfall (Normal) 1. Rainfall (Normal) 1. Rainfall (Normal) 2. Water fetched daily at HH (Normal) 2. Water fetched daily at HH (Normal) 2. Water fetched daily at HH ( Normal) 3. Borehole usage (Normal) 3. Borehole usage (Normal) 3. Borehole usage (Normal) 4. Time spent to fetch Water (Normal) 4. Time spent to fetch water (Normal) 4. Time spent to fetch water ( Normal) LIVELIHOOD VULNERABILI TY STAGE (*) ALARM ALARM ALARM 1. GAM (Emergency) 2. Price of firewood (Normal) 3. Price of charcoal (Normal) 4. Price of labor (Normal) 5. Price of bull (Normal) 6. Price of sorghum (Normal) 7. Livestock in the market (Normal) 8. Freedom of movement (Normal) 1. GAM (Emergency) 2. Price of firewood (Normal) 3. Price of charcoal (Normal) 4. Price of labor (Normal) 5. Price of bull (Normal) 6. Price of sorghum (Normal) 7. Livestock in the market (Normal) 8. Freedom of movement (Normal) DROUGHT Page 2 RISK LOW MEDIUM HIGH 1. GAM (Emergency) 2. Price of firewood (Normal) 3. Price of charcoal (Normal) 4. Price of labor (Normal) 5. Price of bull (Normal) 6. Price of sorghum (Normal) 7. Livestock in the market (Normal) 8. Freedom of movement (Normal) With all the water indicators in the normal stage, the water sector was considered to be in the NORMAL stage. However the department advises the community on the following Recommendations; Continue using borehole water as the main source of water for domestic use Communities are still encouraged to reactivate the water user communities for purposes of proper maintenance of the water sources. Communities are advised to use and dig pit latrines The month under review registered the livelihood sector in the Alarm stage and it was mainly attributed to the high levels of the GAM rate across all livelihood zones. Recommendations: With nutrition partners withdrawing e.g. Concern worldwide, the district is calling upon for more support to enable them carry on these activities. There should be improved political involvement in health related interventions. Scaling up of the Supplementary Feeding Programs and Therapeutic Feeding Programs in the district. Continuous mobilization of VHTs to screen children for Severe and moderate acute malnutrition. Regular supervision by the DHT and Nutrition and health stakeholders at the TFP and STP sites to ensure all children referred are admitted and correct admission and discharge criteria s continue to be employed during periods of high scale loads. The overall district was considered to be in the ALERT stage and this was mainly attributed to the alarming levels in the livestock sector due to the livestock diseases and the emergency GAM levels across the district. With the projections from the department of meteorology showing that the district is expected to receive above normal rains, the risk of drought was considered to be LOW. (*) Vulnerability Stage is the combination of the 4 sectors gages (livestock, crop, water and livelihood). The vulnerability stage, combined with the risk of drought, gives the global warning stage as presented on page 1.

3 Vegetation Condition The month of October registered the district having moderately green vegetation condition. There was a noted reduction compared to that of the previous month. This was mainly attributed to the fact that little rains were received during the first two dekads of the month. The department of natural resource however reported that they expect an improvement in the month of November since projections from the department of meteorology expects the district to receive above normal rains. The department of veterinary also reported that this year livestock migrations will be reduced since water and pastures are expected to be available till the end of the year with the continued rains. (See page 4 for the weather forecast) Page 3

4 Rainfall (mm) The month of October registered 110mm of rains received with below normal rains received during the first two dekads of the month and above normal rains in the last dekad. This explains why there was a noted reduction in the vegetation condition compared to the previous month (See page 3). However, the rains were sufficient enough to keep the livestock in good shape (see page 5 for the LBC) Source: FEWSNET Seasonal Forecast Several places in Karamoja region are currently experiencing wet spells. There are high chances that the current situation is likely to persist until the end of this month (November 2012). Overall, there are high chances for near normal to above normal rainfall conditions over Nakapiripirit and Amudat districts, while other districts are expected to experience normal conditions over several places with the following probabilities:- It should be noted that the current rains being experienced in Karamoja region are in line with the seasonal forecast for Karamoja region that was issued by the Department of Meteorology in early September It should also be noted that El Niño conditions which have been prevailing across the tropical Pacific Basin since August 2012 have declined and are now at neutral levels, but warmer than average through until at least early The Department of Meteorology will continue monitoring these conditions continuously issue an update accordingly. Source: Department of Meteorology Page 4

5 Livestock Body Condition October registered the livestock body condition improving from 80% in September to 83% in October for the animals in good condition. The relative increment was mainly attributed to the rains that have made water and pastures readily available for the animals. Besides the community animal health workers are helping a great deal. The department expects the body condition to continue improving since rains are projected to continue and if livestock diseases are managed. Livestock Migration As a result of the readily available water and pastures in the nearby grazing areas, the department did not register any livestock migrations during the month. However, the department reported that they expect livestock migrations to start around late December since the main reason for livestock movement is search of water and pastures which are currently readily available due to the continuous rains received over the month. Source: Department of Veterinary Page 5

6 Livestock Disease Incidence Disease Type of animals affected Location No. of animals affected Brucellosis Cattle All over the District Numbers not known Tick born diseases Cattle All over the District Numbers not known CBPP Cattle All over the district 120,000 Pneumonia Livestock All over the district Numbers not known CCPP Shoats All over the district Numbers not known Worm Infestations Livestock All over the district Numbers not known The department reported that the month was dominated by the above livestock diseases. Out of the 120,000 cattle estimated affected by CBPP, the department reported that they had secured 30,000 doses of the CBPP vaccine. Partners dealing in livestock interventions are called upon to come and support the district in securing the remaining vaccines. The department is also still worried of other livestock diseases that have continued to affect the animals yet no interventions and vaccinations have been carried out, a case in point is the zoonotic disease brucellosis and CCPP. Type and number of animals in the market Type of animal Number Type of animal Number Bulls 33 Bull calves 32 Cows 37 Heifer 27 October registered an increment in the number of animals in the market (especially Lolachat Market) and this was mainly attributed to the improvement of the road network. This as a result led to the increment of the external buyers. Accessibility to grazing areas (Time in Hrs) All the herds reported that they were taking shorter periods to access grazing areas and this was mainly attributed to the rains that have made water and pastures readily available in the nearby grazing areas. This can be seen in the NDVI maps in page 3 of this drought bulletin. Page 6

7 Type of crops planted There was a noted diversity in the crops grown from the beginning of the season with cereals like sorghum and maize taking the lead. The department also noted some of the communities growing rice. The department also continues to advise farmers to continue utilizing the current ongoing rains to grow short maturing crops like vegetables so as to improve their food basket and diet. Source: District Agricultural Office Crop Condition The crop condition of the Maize and Sorghum could not be ascertained since they had been harvested during the previous month. However, the department reported that other crops that are still in the gardens like potatoes, vegetables and cassava are in good condition as a result of the ongoing rains. Source: District Agricultural Office Crop Yield The crop yield was considered to be relatively fair compared to the previous season especially in the sorghum growing areas. It was also noted that the rice growing areas also experienced a good harvest. However, the department cautions the communities to use the harvested crops sparingly to sustain them to the next harvest season. Source: District Agricultural Office Page 7

8 Quantity of water fetched daily per household (Litres) September 2012 October 2012 Average amount of water fetched daily per household There was a noted increment in the amount of water fetched daily at household level from 95L in September to 105L in October. This was attributed to the fact that household have easy access to water from the available water sources. Type of water sources and time spent to fetch water (hrs) The same water sources were reported being used by the community in October just like the previous month. However, there was a noted increment in the number of household reporting the use of boreholes from 73% to 82%. The increment was attributed to the continued sensitization by various partners and the department on safe water usage. The department continues to encourage the community to use borehole water as the main source of water for domestic use. The time taken to fetch water from the boreholes remained normal at less than 1 hour. This is because the water tables are still high and communities can easily access boreholes in various parts of the district. Page 8

9 Incidence of Malnutrition The recent active case findings on the rate of malnutrition in children aged 5 years and below in the district showed the following results; GAM rate was at 20.4% and the SAM rate was at 3.58%. Due to these high levels of the GAM and SAM the health department recommends the following; There should be improved political involvement in health related interventions. Scaling up of the Supplementary Feeding Programs and Therapeutic Feeding Programs in the district. Continuous mobilization of VHTs to screen children for Severe and moderate acute malnutrition. Regular supervision by the DHT and Nutrition and health stakeholders at the TFP and STP sites to ensure all children referred are admitted and correct admission and discharge criteria s continue to be employed during periods of high scale loads. Source: District Health Department Type of Food Eaten October registered beans, maize flour, wild fruits, sorghum etc as the main foods eaten by the community. It should also be noted that most of the communities were mainly using the stocks as the main source of food, besides the pastoral community with high purchasing power (see page 10 of this document) currently can easily afford cheap food from the market. Out migration of people Total number of households who migrated September 2012 October There were no cases of out migrations registered during the month. This was mainly because most of the household have enough food, water and pastures are readily available, besides the security situation is calm within the district (see page 11 of this document). Page 9

10 Price of Firewood and Charcoal (UGX) The charcoal price remained relatively stable at 2500UGX and that of firewood increased from 1000UGX to 1500UGX. The increment in the price of firewood was attributed to the timing of the season. Currently most of the households are reluctant to engage in this business since they have enough food hence reducing the supply yet the demand for this item is high. Price of Labor (UGX) There was a reduction in the price offered for casual labor from 3000UGX to 2500UGX. This was because most of the activities that demanded labor so much had ended e.g. harvesting The commercial department expects even the prices to decrease further till the next major planting season. Terms of Trade (ratio) There was a noted stability in the bull to sorghum ratio and the charcoal to sorghum ratio as a result of the stability in the price of bull at 600,000UGX and a 100KG sorghum bag at 34,000UGX. The labor to sorghum ratio decreased from to as a result of the reduction in the price offered for casual labor. However, the purchasing power of all the communities was considered good since it was much higher than that of the same period last year. This explains why no communities were reported using adverse coping mechanisms like spending the entire day without eating. Page 10

11 Freedom of Movement The entire households reported that all of them were free to move during the day and those who reported that they were not free to move in the night sighted trauma from previous raids as the reason for their fear for night movements. Page 11

12 Seasonal Calendar Page 12