Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MASERU576
2007-10-16 12:26:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Maseru
Cable title:  

LESOTHO: UPDATE ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION SITUATION AND

Tags:  ECON EAGR EAID PREL SOCI LT 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0580
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0576/01 2891226
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161226Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3406
INFO RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 3807
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000576 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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: ECON EAGR EAID PREL SOCI LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: UPDATE ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION SITUATION AND
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

REF: A) MASERU 567; B) MASERU 403

MASERU 00000576 001.2 OF 002


-------
SUMMARY
-------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000576

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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: ECON EAGR EAID PREL SOCI LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: UPDATE ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION SITUATION AND
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

REF: A) MASERU 567; B) MASERU 403

MASERU 00000576 001.2 OF 002


--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. This cable summarizes latest estimates of food insecurity in
Lesotho, plans for scale-up of food distribution levels in the
coming months, and increasing concerns about acute malnutrition
in some areas, and Post's follow up of these concerns. Post
recommends continued vigilance to the possibilities of rising
acute malnutrition rates, better nutritional monitoring, and
more effective targeting of food assistance to the most food
insecure households.

--------------
BACKGROUND
--------------


2. FOOD SECURITY CRISIS: Reftels have described the dire food
insecurity facing Lesotho this year as a result of widespread
drought and crop failure and rising maize prices, exacerbated by
underlying poverty and high HIV/AIDS prevalence. Following five
consecutive years of below-normal harvests, this year's has been
the worst in decades. The situation is exacerbated by a more
than doubling of maize prices early this year, resulting both
from South Africa's poor harvest, as well as rising global
demand for maize.

--------------
CURRENT SITUATION
--------------


3. FOOD AID SCALE-UP: As the peak of the hunger season
approaches, the humanitarian community is scaling up food
security interventions. In particular, the World Food Program
(WFP) plans to double its level of food distributions in
October. Distribution levels for the Consortium for the
Southern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE) will remain the
same but will be focused on just two districts, with WFP
expanding its area of responsibility to include some areas
previously covered by C-SAFE. WFP will also alter its targeting
strategy from focusing just on chronic illness and HIV/AIDS
patients, to including other households identified by

communities as being most food insecure.


4. NEW LVAC NUMBERS: The Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment
Committee (LVAC),in a report drafted in July, increased their
estimated population of people with "missing food entitlements"
from 400,000 to 553,000, and their estimated food access deficit
from 19,300 MTs to 26,400 MTs. This is still far short of the
Crop and Food Supply Assessment's (CFSAM) estimated food access
gap of 36,700 MTs. (Note: Representatives for USAID, DFID and
the EU at a recent Regional VAC meeting jointly implored the UN,
government and other agencies participating in VACs and CFSAMs
to work more closely together to develop better consensus
estimates of food needs).


5. MALNUTRITION CONCERNS: Two medical NGOs -- Partners in
Health (PIH) and Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) have reported
rising malnutrition cases in several rural health centers in the
past couple months. Very little systematic, credible data is
available, however, regarding the extent of acute malnutrition,
and Lesotho does not have an established capacity for collecting
such data. However, a consortium of humanitarian agencies is
planning to carry out a baseline nutritional survey later in
October.


6. VISITS TO BOBETE AND NOHANA: Following the reports of
increased acute malnutrition in remote rural clinics supported
by PIH, Charge, Emboff and USAID/Food for Peace Officer (FFPO)
paid visits (by air) to two of these locations -- Bobete (Thaba
Tseka district) and Nohana (Mohale's Hoek district). The latter

SIPDIS
visit included nutritionists from Action Contra el Hambre (ACH)
and World Vision.


7. PIH'S ROLE: Since last year PIH has been providing valuable
medical support to three remote mountain clinics that were
previously very neglected and under-resourced, including
full-time doctor coverage. Several months ago they also began
providing household food rations to HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis
patients, as well as other needy cases identified by their
doctors. In the Bobete clinic, the food distributions were
estimated to be meeting the needs of about 20% of the population
in the Bobete catchment area.


8. VISIT FINDINGS: The visits revealed a food security

MASERU 00000576 002.2 OF 002


situation similar to other drought-affected areas in the
country. However, the remoteness of these locations makes the
needs more difficult to assess and address. The communities
reported that local household grain supplies were virtually
depleted, and that food (particularly maize) was scarce in
markets, and more expensive than in the past. The failure of
the winter bean crops has also adversely affected the dietary
quality of many households. The nutritional situation was not
clear, however, as the nutritionists visiting Nohana revealed
significant problems with the accuracy and interpretation of the
data being collected. Recommendations were made to PIH on how
to improve this data collection.

--------------
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
--------------


9. NUTRITIONAL RISK: Although Lesotho has not had reports of
rising acute malnutrition ("wasting") rates in past years, the
risks of this are certainly higher this year due to: (1) the
cumulative effects of six consecutive poor harvests; (2) the
fact that this year's harvest has been the worst in many years;
and (3) the big spike in maize prices (more than double last
year's prices) that makes it difficult for vulnerable households
to compensate for their harvest failure with market purchases.


10. NUTRITIONAL MONITORING: There are no clear data on what
the levels of acute malnutrition are, as well as the causes.
This impedes decision making on the scale and types of response
needed. Nevertheless, given the widespread food insecurity this
year in Lesotho, we need to keep a close eye on the nutritional
situation. The planned nutritional survey, if carried out
effectively and quickly, can be a helpful tool for assessing the
overall national situation, although other surveillance and
outreach efforts are still needed to address the possibility of
localized pockets of high acute malnutrition. Strengthening the
nutritional monitoring capacity of clinics such as those
supported by PIH is therefore also important.


11. TARGETING: Also, a key to preventing acute malnutrition
will be effective targeting of the food aid resources available.
The clinic-based distributions being carried out to date by WFP
and PIH have not been closely-enough linked to measures of
household food entitlement, as HIV-status is not necessarily
highly correlated with food access. WFP's new targeting
approach, focused on livelihoods, will hopefully be more
effective at targeting the most food insecure households.
C-SAFE will also expand its targeting by allowing some
households that have no healthy adult member present to receive
rations without carrying out "food-for-assets" activities, in
order to ensure that the most vulnerable are reached.
ANDERSON