Plan cautiously optimistic over Sahel harvest forecast

Plan welcomes the news that harvests in the Sahel should be better this year but warns that the world should not let its guard down, just yet, because children remain at risk in the Sahel which continues to battle several emergencies.

Roland Berehoudougou, Plan’s Disaster Risk Manager for West Africa, says that it is too early to pronounce the Sahel Food Crisis over.

“We are cautiously optimistic because we know from experience that better harvests do not necessarily mean improved food security. We also know that this year’s Sahel Food Crisis was triggered by a number of factors well beyond those that were considered by CILSS,” says Berehoudougou.

CILSS (the inter-agency task force on drought in the Sahel) says that increased cereal production this year could be 5-17% higher than last year. The preliminary forecast is based on a number of factors including greater availability of seeds, improved fertilizers and pesticides, farming equipment sold at subsidized cost and better rainfall.

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