Highlights
• Expected losses of 40% in cereal production, representing a deficit of 900,000 tons
• In the southern provinces the harvest will not cover more than 3 to 4 months of food needs. A worsening of food insecurity is expected from July-August.
• Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates are still critical. More than 120,000 malnourished children reside in the 4 southern provinces.
• In the southern provinces, where 30% of the existing boreholes are non-functional, less than 20% of communities have access to safe water and adequate sanitation facilities.
Situation Overview
Southern Angola has been affected by recurrent cycles of droughts and floods since 2008. In 2015, 1.4m people in 7 provinces were affected by El Niño. About 78% of these live in 3 provinces of southern Angola, namely Cunene (with 56% of the people affected), Huila and Namibe. Agricultural and livestock losses were estimated at $242.5m in 2015.
The National Institute of Cereals in the Ministry of Agriculture estimated a production deficit for 2016 of 900,000 tons, representing the 40% of expected production (TPA - 4/5/16). In the southern provinces, food insecurity seems to have recently decreased due to the initial harvests and increased availability of milk and wild fruits. However, Civil Protection reported that 43% affected people of the three provinces are still food insecure. According to the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture in Cunene, crop production is unlikely to be reestablished following the short and irregular rains received; and food insecurity is expected to worsen from August month, possibly to be exacerbated by la Nina effects that will include flooding. In Cunene, Civil Protection has started to stock food aid of 100 tons of maize and 70 tons of rice.
Livestock deaths have increased to 500.000 head of cattle due to the spread of water-borne disease outbreaks (such as dermatitis) and the lack of vaccinations and treatment. Also, low rains and lack of pasture affected livestock reproduction, with reports of calves’ abortion and lack of milk production. A further outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) was registered in late April 2016 in Cuando Cubango and livestock sales remain forbidden in Cunene and Cuando Cubango, affecting pastoralist households and their access to means of livelihood.
Due to worsening depreciation of the Kwanza, basic basket prices are expected to increase again, decreasing access to food and goods by vulnerable people. So far imported products such as veterinary medical supplies have registered price increases of as much as 530%.
As shown in the graph below malnutrition has decreased due to recent harvests and milk availability. The situation is apparently better than in December 2015, and similar to the one of June 2015, when malnutrition data for children under age 5 showed lower (but still very high) malnutrition levels. Nevertheless, levels of malnutrition in May 2016 show critical trends, especially as 2016 had rains and harvest, albeit poor, whereas in 2015 rains and harvest were almost non-existent.
According to health data from an in-patient treatment (IPT) facility run by the NGO Medici Con l’ Africa (CUAMM – Doctors with Africa), in Cunene 58% of patients admitted into the paediatrics and intense care unit are children with SAM; of these 36% have complications requiring hospitalization. This is placing an extreme burden on the health system as the community management centres for acute malnutrition (CMAM) are not operational. The IPT is expected to accommodate about 20% of the patients but due to the situation in these three provinces this capacity is exceeded.
Increasing water-borne diseases have also been reported, including malaria caseloads which have increased by as much as 76% since 2015. Strengthening prevention activities and addressing shortages in treatment remain a priority.
Increasing caseloads of yellow fever (YF) outbreak are reported in 14 provinces of Angola including southern Provinces. 123 caseloads and 21 deaths reported in Huila, 32 caseloads and 1 death in Cunene and 4 caseloads and 1 death in Namibe as per 9th May 2016 (WHO). Actually Luanda, Benguela and Huambo are the worse hit provinces.