Famines in Africa: is early warning early enough?

Jeeyon Janet Kim,Debarati Guha-Sapir

doi:10.3402/gha.v5i0.18481

Abstract

Following the second Sahelian famine in 1984–1985, major investments were made to establish Early Warning Systems. These systems help to ensure that timely warnings and vulnerability information are available to decision makers to anticipate and avert food crises. In the recent crisis in the Horn of Africa, alarming levels of acute malnutrition were documented from March 2010, and by August 2010, an impending food crisis was forecast. Despite these measures, the situation remained unrecognised, and further deteriorated causing malnutrition levels to grow in severity and scope. By the time the United Nations officially declared famine on 20 July 2011, and the humanitarian community sluggishly went into response mode, levels of malnutrition and mortality exceeded catastrophic levels. At this time, an estimated 11 million people were in desperate and immediate need for food. With warnings of food crises in the Sahel, South Sudan, and forecast of the drought returning to the Horn, there is an immediate need to institutionalize change in the health response during humanitarian emergencies. Early warning systems are only effective if they trigger an early response.

Highlights

Following the second Sahelian famine in 1984Á1985, major investments were made to establish Early Warning Systems
In 1984Á1985, severe famines in Sudan and Ethiopia prompted the international community to put in place Early Warning Systems (EWS) to anticipate and avert future food crises
Large investments have been made in other EWS such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Global Information and Early Warning System and World Food Programme’s Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping Unit, to name just a few

Summary

Introduction

Following the second Sahelian famine in 1984Á1985, major investments were made to establish Early Warning Systems. It was the first famine declared since 1991Á1992 and first significant food crisis in three years. By the time the major global press began to document the food crisis in the Horn of Africa (HOA), it was already much too late.

Results

Conclusion