Ethiopia to seek urgent food aid

Addis Ababa, 22 Oct-(ANA)-The Ethiopian government is expected to confirm later that it needs emergency food aid for 6.2 million people.

This is because of the effects of prolonged drought and erratic rains on crops and grazing for livestock.

The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is already facing a shortfall of more than $85m (£50m) worth of food for Ethiopia to the end of this year.

Aid agency Oxfam has called for a new approach to tackling the risk of disaster in the country.

In a report marking 25 years since the famine that killed around one million Ethiopians, Oxfam said that imported food aid saves lives in the short term but does little to help communities withstand the next shock.

The report, named Band Aids and Beyond, called on international donors to adopt a new approach focused on preparing communities to prevent and deal with disasters before they strike.

"Drought does not need to mean hunger and destitution," said Penny Lawrence, Oxfam's international director, who has just returned from Ethiopia.

"If communities have irrigation for crops, grain stores, and wells to harvest rains then they can survive despite what the elements throw at them." (ANA)

FA/ANA/22 October 2009---