The Sahel region is once again likely to face a serious food crisis (Google / Huffington Post)

Read at : Google Alert – images of the Africa Drought

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louis-belanger/sahel-in-10-pictures-the_b_1250391.html?ref=world

Sahel in 10 Pictures: The Food Crisis in West Africa

Spokesperson, Oxfam; Based in NYC

This year, the Sahel region of West Africa is once again likely to face a serious food crisis that could, if early and effective action is not taken, prove as costly to lives and livelihoods as the past food crises in 2005, 2008 and 2010. Every year, these crises affected more than 10 million people.

Oxfam is hoping to reach 700,000 people across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger with humanitarian aid.

Early recognition of the coming crisis also provides an opportunity to avoid the mistakes of the past, enabling action months earlier than in previous crises. Oxfam believes that by investing now in earlier and more cost-effective actions, vulnerable populations can be protected from the worst impacts of the coming crisis at a much lower cost than if we waited.

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Author: Willem Van Cotthem

Honorary Professor of Botany, University of Ghent (Belgium). Scientific Consultant for Desertification and Sustainable Development.