Oxfam tackles Ethiopia's cycle of hunger
Ethiopians and others across East Africa are facing food shortages
A new report from Oxfam has called for changes to the food aid system, as the people of Ethiopia once again face severe food and water shortages.
Published to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the famine that led to BBC journalist Michael Buerk's famous news broadcasts and in turn inspired Live Aid, the agency's latest publication claims that international donors need to take up a longer-term approach to such disasters.
An estimated one million Ethiopians died from hunger and malnutrition across 1984 and 1985, but now many are facing the same problem after several years of poor rainfall that costs the country $1.1 billion (£0.66 billion) annually.
Oxfam has stated that a new approach would prepare communities for such problems before they strike, rather than providing the short-term relief that imported food aid tends to offer.
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Penny Lawrence, international director of Oxfam, said that such aid does not tackle the underlying causes that boost the population's vulnerability.
"Drought does not need to mean hunger and destitution. If communities have irrigation for crops, grain stores, and wells to harvest rains then they can survive despite what the elements throw at them," she added.
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