We prayed for the rain, but it came too late

Friday, June 24, 2016

For farmers who have prayed for the rain for many months, the rains that has started to come in May are nothing less than an answered prayer. But for Tadesse and Mengiste, while the rains did come, they are way too late.

“The rain has come; it would have given us good harvest. Unfortunately, we no longer have animals to plough the land,” both farmers lamented.

There are at least four things farmers need to have a good harvest: land, seeds, water, animals such as oxen and cattle. Deprived of any one of these, their condition faces hapless, utter destitution. For the farmers of Samre district in Tigray, northern region of Ethiopia, they are only left with dry, arid land.

The impact of the drought is broad. Water sources have dried up, crop harvests have failed, animals became undernourished and many have died. All these significantly affecting the quality of life and coping mechanisms of the people, of which millions have been reduced to utter dependency on government and humanitarian organizations’ aid.

In Samre’s drought-ravaged countryside, farmers like Tadesse and Mengiste sold their assets extremely cheaply.

 “It was only last year that we started selling our livestock. With no food and water, our animals suffered as much as we do. I lost 15 sheep and two cows. They died one by one since September. In February, I made a big decision. I sold my ox for 3,000 birr,” said the 73-year-old Tadesse.

Tadesse had experienced and survived recurring droughts in the past. But he said, the current drought that has started mid-last year and accentuated by El Nino, has been the most severe.

His oxen, the very animal that helped him plow his land, could have been sold for 10,000 birr in the normal season. But with many farmers forced to sell their livestock before they get skinny and sick, the price of livestock plummeted because of oversupply.

“I had to sell my three cows and three donkeys because I need money to buy food for my family. I have nothing to feed my animals too. I had to sell them at any price,” said Mangiste. He sold his cattle for 800 birr and his donkeys for 700 birr, which would have been sold for 8,000 birr and 3,000 birr, respectively.

Tadesse and Mangiste, as many other in their village, receive 15 kg wheat per household per month. But these are barely enough. The 3,000 Birr Tadesse received from the sale of his oxen were barely enough to cover his family’s food requirements – coffee, oil, and sugar, among others – for two months.

Many farmers have also resorted to unconventional means of managing the situation. “Now, we’ve been seeing more farmers using donkeys to plow their farmlands. This has not been done before. Farmers have also started feeding their animals with three branches,” said Gebreselasie Gebremichael, World Vision area supervisor in Samre.

More than 70% of Samre’s 150,000 population are affected by the drought. Almost a year without rain has resulted to significant crop failure.

World Vision has been assisting villages in Samre district. In partnership with the local government of Samre, World Vision is rehabilitating and setting up shallow wells and deep wells, as well daily water trucking, especially to health centres. To date, in Samre district, three shallow wells and one borehole (deep well) have been constructed. Twelve more shallow wells are undergoing ongoing rehabilitation. World Vision has also distributed chickens to families and provided educational materials to children.

“I no longer have any plans. There’s nothing more left to sell. We can only pray that more help will be given to us to help us get back to ploughing our farms and planting crops. The rain is here, we need help now,” said Tadesse.  His only remaining source of pride now is his two children who are in the university in Mekele.