DISASTER DECLARATION: FOOD INSECURITY IN LESOTHO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MASERU 000403

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

USAID/DCHA/FFP ALSO FOR WHAMMINCK, JDWORKEN, TANDERSON,
LPETERSON, SGILBERT
USAID/DCHA/OFDA ALSO FOR CPRATT, KLUU, GGOTTLIEB, AFERRARA
USAID/AFR ALSO FOR ELOKEN, LDOBBINS
PRETORIA ALSO FOR USAID PDISKIN, JWESSEL, HHALE, NMANGQALAZA
DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S
ROME FOR USUN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID EAGR ECON PGOV PREL LT
SUBJECT: DISASTER DECLARATION: FOOD INSECURITY IN LESOTHO

REF: MASERU 402; MASERU 199

MASERU 00000403 001.3 OF 003



1. This is an action cable. See paragraphs 3 and 11.

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SUMMARY
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2. SUMMARY: According to a variety of food experts, Lesotho
government officials, and official observers -- including USAID,
the World Food Programme (WFP),the Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO),the GOL's Disaster Management Authority, and
local and international NGO communities -- persistent drought
and failed crops since December 2006 and subsequent hikes in
commodity prices have created an increasingly acute food crisis
in Lesotho. On average, Lesotho's total agricultural production
declined over 40% this season, increasing food insecurity for
upward of 500,000 people (roughly 25% of the population). The
situation is worsened by Lesotho's high prevalence of HIV/AIDS,
creating groups highly vulnerable to fluctuations in food
availability. This year's abnormally poor harvest, particularly
with regard to maize, a staple crop for subsistence and for
household income, requires food aid in order to prevent a crop
disaster from becoming a humanitarian crisis. See ref B for
further detailed information on the harvest and drought
situation.


3. On July 9, Lesotho's Prime Minister issued a statement on
the "Declaration of an Emergency on Food Security" and called on
the country's "development partners and all the friends of
Lesotho to assist us to address and redress this situation." On
May 28, the GOL's Disaster Management Authority issued a report
stating that an estimated 523,000 individuals are in need of
food aid in Lesotho due to the 2007 crop failure. A joint
WFP/FAO Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report
issued on June 11 estimated that 30,000 tons of cereals and
6,700 tons of other foods would be necessary to close the food
insecurity gap faced by Lesotho's vulnerable groups. It is in
the U.S. Government's interest to provide food aid in this
instance on humanitarian grounds. As such, this cable serves as
a disaster declaration for severe food insecurity in Lesotho,
and the U.S. mission in Maseru requests that USAID/OFDA provide
Chief of Mission authority to use $50,000 for emergency
assistance. Specific funds will be requested when an
appropriate local recipient and activity has been selected.
Post commends USAID/FFP for commodity contributions to WFP over
the past two months and also supports any additional increases
in Title II emergency food aid resources. Post requests that
USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP work with USAID's local food aid
partners in Lesotho (CRS, World Vision, and CARE) to determine
any additional support that may be necessary to assist in crop
failure recovery and improved food security until a successful
harvest can be realized. Post fully supports this NGO
consortium's recent proposal for a one-year extension of the
C-SAFE program (ref A). END SUMMARY.

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Previous USAID Conclusions
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4. USAID Food for Peace (FFP) and Office of U.S. Foreign
Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Teams visited Lesotho on three
occasions in recent months to conduct food and crop assessments
and to monitor ongoing assistance programs: November 12-15,
2006; April 18-21, 2007; and March 19-23, 2007. Following the
most recent visit, the teams arrived at the following
conclusions (reftel): (A) failed rains since December 2006 have
resulted in a crisis situation in Lesotho; (B) the FFP program,
subject to the availability of funds, should consider an initial
call forward of emergency commodities to Lesotho; (C) The food
aid programs of the WFP and the Consortium for Southern African
Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE, an NGO consortium including
Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, and CARE) which
currently target chronically-vulnerable caseloads might be
redirected to meet the acute (shock-related) needs of Lesotho's
population; and (D) the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
(OFDA) should study the water situation and explore options to
address water constraints in the short and medium term to
support agricultural recovery for the spring/summer season to
enable affected households to plant and harvest in March/April

2008. During the first week of June, USAID/FFP enacted an
emergency contribution to WFP Lesotho of 6,500 metric tons of
food aid commodities, valued at US $5 million. In early July,
USAID/FFP enacted a further contribution of 3,750 metric tons of
food aid, valued at $2.93 million. (NOTE: Due to a lengthy

MASERU 00000403 002.2 OF 003


shipment pipeline, however, these commodities will take months
to reach Lesotho. END NOTE.)

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Significant Impact; Beyond GOL's Resources
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5. The current crop failure in Lesotho will have a significant
effect on lives and livelihoods in the Kingdom, and it is beyond
current local resources to respond adequately. According to
Lesotho's Disaster Management Authority (DMA),2006/2007 maize
production in Lesotho is down by 39% as compared to 2005/2006
(also a drought year),and sorghum production has declined by
42% during the same period. On average, Lesotho's total
agricultural production has declined 40.5% this season. The
price of maize is expected to rise in Lesotho between 50% and
100% this year. The DMA estimates that 523,351 people
(approximately one quarter of Lesotho's population) may be in
need of between 30,000 and 35,000 tons of food aid. The
magnitude of this need is beyond the current resources of the
Government of Lesotho.


6. The week of April 23-30, an FAO/WFP team conducted a
validation Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM).
According to a May 18, 2007 report by the FAO Emergency
Operations and Rehabilitation Division, the DMA's above
estimation of maize and sorghum crop percentage declines were
accurate. FAO noted that as Lesotho only produces about a third
of its cereal requirements even in a good year, this reduction
has serious implications for the nation, especially the poor and
most vulnerable groups. FAO also remarked on a recent 25% rise
in maize meal prices. According to the report, the estimated
planted area for maize is down 13.3 percent this year; sorghum
planted area is down 16.3 percent; and wheat planted area is
also down, by 16.4 percent. Livestock forage supplies were
predicted to be in deficit due to lower supplies of maize and
other crop residues.


7. The FAO/WFP's official CFSAM report was issued to the GOL on
June 11. As 2006 was also a drought year, the report emphasized
the scale of Lesotho's crop failure as compared to the nation's
five-year average agricultural production figures. By this
measure, maize production had declined by more than 50%. The
report noted that many households had exhausted their coping
capacity, and that the escalation of grain prices due to
domestic shortages and rising maize prices in South Africa would
further limit the access to market-purchased supplies by
landless and urban populations, deepening food insecurity.


8. A delegation from C-SAFE also conducted an assessment
mission on April 19-20, 2007. This mission reached
substantially similar conclusions to USAID/FFP and FAO/WFP, and
the C-SAFE consortium submitted a concept paper for informal
feedback to USAID/OFDA on a spring/summer planting program.
Embassy Maseru fully supports the consortium's proposal for a
one-year extension of the C-SAFE program (ref A).

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Food Aid Welcome
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9. On July 9, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili declared a food
disaster in Lesotho, specifically citing DMA, WFP, and FAO
statistics to support his conclusion that a "critical situation
of food insecurity" exists in Lesotho. The Prime Minister
stated that the "Government [of Lesotho] requires increased
assistance from its development partners in order to translate
into action plans for addressing the food insecurity situation
in the country." Mosisili, describing the declaration as a
short-term measure to alleviate famine among vulnerable
socio-economic groups, stated that the GOL will take measures to
ensure national food security in the future, including:
identification of agriculture as a the key sector in the
country's Poverty Reduction Strategy; improvement of
agricultural productivity through maximum use of arable land,
subsidized inputs, promotion of drought resistant crops, and
scaling up of homestead farming/gardening; promotion of block
farming, conservation farming, and water control; and
establishment of "Range Management Areas."


10. The nation's Disaster Management Authority had previously
announced that international food aid is needed to avert crisis.
The DMA's most recent report, issued on May 28, reflected the
GOL's understanding of the severity of the situation and its

MASERU 00000403 003.2 OF 003


desire for international food aid. Underscoring this desire for
international cooperation, DMA added USAID's April 2007 Southern
Africa Food Security Update as an appendix to its report.

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Aid in the U.S.'s Interest
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11. Post concludes that it is in the interest of the United
States Government to provide food assistance in this instance.
As stated above, the GOL, through its Prime Minister, has
publicly called on development partners to provide the nation
with food aid. In addition to the primary concern of preventing
a humanitarian tragedy, timely food aid would likely bolster the
already flourishing U.S.-Lesotho bilateral relationship. The
Government of Lesotho has been highly cooperative in
facilitating U.S. food assistance. Any new USG aid would be
accompanied by appropriate Public Diplomacy efforts to maximize
the local public affairs impact of the donations.

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Indeed a Disaster, Action Needed
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12. The Charge d'Affaires, a.i. hereby declares a disaster in
Lesotho and requests that USAID/OFDA provide Embassy Maseru with
the authority to use $50,000 for the immediate, urgent need to
mitigate a sharp increase in food insecurity. Specific
disbursement of funds will be requested when an appropriate
recipient and activity has been selected. Post also supports
any increase in Title II emergency food aid resources, as
possible. Post requests that USAID/FFP work with USAID's local
food aid partners in Lesotho to determine any additional support
that may be necessary to assist in crop failure recovery and
improved food security until a successful harvest can be
realized next season.


13. Embassy Maseru is currently exploring the use of this
$50,000 authorization to provide existing USG partner(s) with
small grants to aid Lesotho's most vulnerable groups in the
current crisis. In addition to C-SAFE, several NGOs
collaborating with the USG's PEPFAR Presidential Initiative, who
are undertaking food security programs with Lesotho's most
vulnerable victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, are possible
partners in this emergency food security effort.


14. The Mission will continue to monitor the evolving situation
in Lesotho, and expresses thanks to USAID for its continued
support and coordination.
MURPHY