A Perspective on Food and Water Security in Yemen

Transcription

1 11 October 2011 A Perspective on Food and Water Security in Yemen Author: Aida Mliga Research Intern Global Food and Water Crises Research Programme Future Directions International Key points The country s major constraint is low agricultural productivity and insufficient water resources. The 2008 and 2009 triple crises (food, fuel and economic crises) have had a great impact on Yemen s food security. Water reserves are being consumed faster than it takes them to replenish thereby increasing the risk of water insecurity. The country requires international attention and support as it is a hub for many refugees and there is still potential for the country to recover some of its consumed resources. Analysis While much of the recent attention on Yemen has been focused on the series of events that caused political turmoil in the country, there has continually been a great concern over food and water security of its people. In addition to its insecurities, the country experiences both internal and external immigration due to both internal conflicts as well as hardship in neighbouring countries. External refugees originate from countries such as Ethiopia and Egypt. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Yemen is among one of the poorest countries in the Middle East. With approximately 35 per cent of its people living below the poverty line, the country is highly dependent on its oil exports as the major revenue source aside from cotton, coffee and fish. Yemen's oil sector provides 90 per cent of export earnings and 75 percent of government revenue. Oil reserves are, however, diminishing and the country has not been successful in reforming the economy. Although, the country s location would suggest high fishing activities, production seems to be low due to the lack of experience, finance and investment.

2 Most of the agricultural areas are rain-fed with two rainy seasons which run from March to April and July to August. The latter rainy season is the spring season which is suitable for growing sorghum and millet. Summer on the other hand, is suitable for many drought tolerant crops such as wheat, barley, pulses and some vegetables which can be grown in the central and northern uplands. Cereals, vegetables and fodders are grown on the eastern plateau and southern uplands. About 300,000 hectares is covered by sorghum which is the main stable crop in the country. In 2008, less than three per cent of the country s land was considered to be arable yet agriculture s contribution to the national income exceeded 15 per cent and nearly 70 per cent of the rural population earns their living through agriculture. The major constraints were, and still are, low productivity of approximately one tonne of cereals per hectare as compared to average yields of around 1.7 tonnes per hectares in Australia. Crops primarily include barley, grain sorghum, maize, oats, triticale and wheat over 20 million hectares of land. Water comes mainly from underground reserves usually extracted by the use of diesel pumps and its use is normally unregulated. As a result there is competition to use more water before it disappears. This is contrary to the situation prior to the country becoming a republic in 1990 when there was a tribal management system which was effective in regulating water use. This paper highlights the key food and water security issues and suggests some of the ways that these problems can be overcome. Food Security Traditionally, cereal crops were regarded as the least profitable. The country has, nonetheless, started to encourage the growth of cereal crops in suitable rain-fed areas of the country. In the past, however, much focus was on the production of cash crops such as fruits and vegetables in the western plains of the country where irrigation is feed from underground water. The global triple (food, fuel and economic) crisis has had a significant impact on Yemen s food security. The current political instability continues to play a part in fostering food insecurity. Food, water, health and hygiene support are urgently needed, particularly in Abyan, Aden, Lahj, Hajja, Sa ada, Amran, Hodaidah Al Jawf, Rayma and Ibb (see figure 1). Starvation looms due to price hikes The World Bank reports in its April 2011 Food Price Watch that various events in the Middle East such as crude oil price rises and the impacts of climate changes have driven world food prices high. In Yemen the main focus has been on its oil production and most of its food demands are imported since agricultural production is rarely sufficient. In a report in Irin News 2 February 2009 edition entitled In-depth: Food Crisis: Status and Impacts Yemeni economist Hassan Thabet said that since the 1960s Yemen had changed into a foodimporting country. For instance, in per cent of food and 95 per cent of cereals were imported. Page 2 of 6

3 Currently, political unrest continues to hike the food prices even higher. As a result the poor get hit hard since food is no longer as affordable as it was prior to the 2008 crisis. Typically, people spend almost two-thirds of their income on food so that as prices have risen families have decided to skip meals regularly, no longer consuming meat or fish and even fasting. This in turn makes education and other necessities unaffordable for some parents so they have resorted to pulling their children out of school. To counter this, the United Nations World Food Programme had to establish a five-year country programme ( ) for one million Yemenis. Budgeted at US$48 million ($47 million) it focuses on expanding girls' access to education alongside improving the health and nutritional status of malnourished children under five, pregnant and lactating women as well as tuberculosis and leprosy patients. To date, the programme has helped minimise the impacts of food insecurity. The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicated in its 1 July 2011 Yemen Humanitarian Report, situation Report No.3 that one in three people are food insecure and under-nourished, and more than 50 per cent of children are stunted. A July 2011 report on Alertnet stated that some economists believe that the situation could worsen if Yemen's reserves of food stock runs out and if the government fails to pay staff salaries. Source: topnews.nl The displacement of people affects both agricultural production and food security As of December 2010, the number of internally displaced people in Yemen hit 250,000 due to the internal conflicts in the country. This in turn creates food insecurity in the country as these civilians depend on their host communities donations to meet their daily food needs. Page 3 of 6

4 In addition to the internal political conflicts which displace civilians there are refugees from neighbouring countries. As a result this increases the number of food-insecure people. The situation continues to worsen in the south, where more people have recently been displaced and currently more than 15,610 internally displaced people are in Aden, about 11,890 in Lahj and an unconfirmed 15,000 in Abyan. At the national level, the displacement of Yemeni s has affected the country s economy including its agricultural production. Approximately $US5 billion ($4.7 billion) of Yemen s economy has been lost in the three months of the current conflicts. At the household level, conflicts in the country have so far caused displacement of families often resulting in loss of lives and livelihood, injuries, the destruction of many houses and farms as well as public facilities such as water wells and health clinics. This makes it difficult for these families to return and rebuild their lives as most return home only to find their properties and farms destroyed. This acts as a major setback not only to the individuals agricultural production but the country as a whole. Increased malnutrition Malnutrition in Yemen is mainly a result of both price hikes and family displacement. According to the UN World Food Programme, Yemen is considered the 11th most foodinsecure country and the second highest country with children under the age of five suffering from malnourishment. The Independent Studies and Economic Media Centre, a Yemeni research organisation, reports in its 4 July 2011 News section that almost nine million Yemenis are finding it difficult to meet their daily food needs. In fact, food prices are even higher in rural areas, mostly because of inaccessibility. In addition, regardless of the availability of oil reserves, the continuous diminishing oil reserves have resulted in higher transportation costs pushed by the high fuel prices. A 2009 study conducted on Yemen by the World Health Organization found that 44 per cent of children less than six months of age suffered from malnourishment with about 33 per cent of children between seven months and one year old suffering from malnutrition. The highest case of Source: Yemen Today Magazine Page 4 of 6

5 malnourished children is found in the rural areas. In addition to this, the family s socioeconomic status affects the children s nutrition with around 33 per cent living in low socioeconomic conditions. Water Security Water availability across Yemen amounts to 100 to 200 cubic metres per person per year, which is below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic metres. The country s water usage is mainly dependent on underground water reserves. These reserves are, however, being used up faster than it takes them to replenish, especially in the Sana a basin (underneath the country s capital Sana a). Water once found 20 metres below the surface is now 200 metres deep, and this is despite the availability of rainwater tanks on the roofs of most houses. The capital city is currently under pressure due to in-migration which has led to high population growth. Water shortages have spurned a new business for truck drivers who supply water to residences in town areas such as the country s capital. In rural areas it is the responsibility of women to climb up and down mountains to fetch water from springs to bring back to their homes and from wells and taps in towns. Underground water is usually unclean, however, due to contamination caused by human and factory waste, particularly in the country s major population centre where waste is treated. When waste is treated, some of it leaks and pollutes underground water. Sourcing water from wells or via truck deliveries is preferred. In rural areas well water is often unclean and water truck deliveries are alternatively expensive so is, therefore, not always a good alternative. As a result, girls constantly drop out from school to spend more time collecting water from wells far from their homes. At present, truck drivers have started refusing to supply residences in Sana'a with water mainly because of a lack of petrol. All the same, domestic usage is not the only reason water reserves in Yemen are being exhausted. ReliefWeb s 15 November 2010 s daily updates report by Professor Abdulla Al- Norman from Sana'a University's Faculty of Agriculture in Yemen times (The many dangers of water shortage) said that the increased planting of qat, a plant whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant, stresses water reserves, especially in Sana'a. In the update, he is quoted as saying: It is estimated that more than 90 per cent of the water resources in Yemen are used for irrigation, with 36 per cent consumed for watering qat trees alone. Wide-spread illegal well drilling in the Sana'a basin and elsewhere takes further unknown amounts of water. Conclusion Yemen is facing many pressures, food and water security being part of them. With the ongoing political turmoil the situation is likely to worsen. Therefore, there is a need for the development of other sectors in the country such as the agriculture industry as well as stronger regulation of water use. It is important for the relevant authorities to communicate the fact that ground water is a finite resource and, unlike other finite resources like oil and gas, water does not have any substitutes. Therefore if aquifers are pumped faster than they can be replenished water supply will diminish while the water can become to saline for Page 5 of 6

6 agriculture or domestic use. When groundwater dries it usually has a long-term effect. Regulation could help to fairly distribute the scarce resources among the citizens so as to promote general welfare. Meanwhile, the country requires international attention and support not only because it seems to be on the verge of economic freefall but also because, regardless of all other pressures, Yemen is a source of refugees from places such as Somalia and Ethiopia. In addition to this, unless proper water use and management is adapted the country is likely to experience a complete depletion of its water supply. The Australian Government s four year, $464 million global food security initiative should also help to make a difference to Yemenis. Any opinions or views expressed in this paper are those of the individual author, unless stated to be those of Future Directions International. Published by Future Directions International Pty Ltd. Desborough House, Suite 2, 1161 Hay Street, West Perth WA 6005 Australia. Tel: Fax: Gary Kleyn: gkleyn@futuredirections.org.au Web: Page 6 of 6