VZCZCXRO2056
OO RUEHMR
DE RUEHMR #0403/01 1911505
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101505Z JUL 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3142
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME IMMEDIATE 0010
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 3526

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MASERU 000403 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID/DCHA/FFP ALSO FOR WHAMMINCK, JDWORKEN, TANDERSON, 
LPETERSON, SGILBERT 
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: EAID EAGR ECON PGOV PREL LT
SUBJECT: DISASTER DECLARATION: FOOD INSECURITY IN LESOTHO 
 
REF: MASERU 402; MASERU 199 
 
MASERU 00000403  001.3 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  This is an action cable.  See paragraphs 3 and 11. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶2.  SUMMARY:  According to a variety of food experts, Lesotho 
government officials, and official observers -- including USAID, 
the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agricultural 
Organization (FAO), the GOL's Disaster Management Authority, and 
local and international NGO communities -- persistent drought 
and failed crops since December 2006 and subsequent hikes in 
commodity prices have created an increasingly acute food crisis 
in Lesotho.  On average, Lesotho's total agricultural production 
declined over 40% this season, increasing food insecurity for 
upward of 500,000 people (roughly 25% of the population).  The 
situation is worsened by Lesotho's high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, 
creating groups highly vulnerable to fluctuations in food 
availability.  This year's abnormally poor harvest, particularly 
with regard to maize, a staple crop for subsistence and for 
household income, requires food aid in order to prevent a crop 
disaster from becoming a humanitarian crisis.  See ref B for 
further detailed information on the harvest and drought 
situation. 
 
¶3.  On July 9, Lesotho's Prime Minister issued a statement on 
the "Declaration of an Emergency on Food Security" and called on 
the country's "development partners and all the friends of 
Lesotho to assist us to address and redress this situation."  On 
May 28, the GOL's Disaster Management Authority issued a report 
stating that an estimated 523,000 individuals are in need of 
food aid in Lesotho due to the 2007 crop failure.  A joint 
WFP/FAO Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report 
issued on June 11 estimated that 30,000 tons of cereals and 
6,700 tons of other foods would be necessary to close the food 
insecurity gap faced by Lesotho's vulnerable groups.  It is in 
the U.S. Government's interest to provide food aid in this 
instance on humanitarian grounds.  As such, this cable serves as 
a disaster declaration for severe food insecurity in Lesotho, 
and the U.S. mission in Maseru requests that USAID/OFDA provide 
Chief of Mission authority to use $50,000 for emergency 
assistance.  Specific funds will be requested when an 
appropriate local recipient and activity has been selected. 
Post commends USAID/FFP for commodity contributions to WFP over 
the past two months and also supports any additional increases 
in Title II emergency food aid resources.  Post requests that 
USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP work with USAID's local food aid 
partners in Lesotho (CRS, World Vision, and CARE) to determine 
any additional support that may be necessary to assist in crop 
failure recovery and improved food security until a successful 
harvest can be realized.  Post fully supports this NGO 
consortium's recent proposal for a one-year extension of the 
C-SAFE program (ref A).   END SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------- 
Previous USAID Conclusions 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4.  USAID Food for Peace (FFP) and Office of U.S. Foreign 
Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Teams visited Lesotho on three 
occasions in recent months to conduct food and crop assessments 
and to monitor ongoing assistance programs: November 12-15, 
2006; April 18-21, 2007; and March 19-23, 2007.  Following the 
most recent visit, the teams arrived at the following 
conclusions (reftel): (A) failed rains since December 2006 have 
resulted in a crisis situation in Lesotho; (B) the FFP program, 
subject to the availability of funds, should consider an initial 
call forward of emergency commodities to Lesotho; (C)  The food 
aid programs of the WFP and the Consortium for Southern African 
Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE, an NGO consortium including 
Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, and CARE) which 
currently target chronically-vulnerable caseloads might be 
redirected to meet the acute (shock-related) needs of Lesotho's 
population; and (D) the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance 
(OFDA) should study the water situation and explore options to 
address water constraints in the short and medium term to 
support agricultural recovery for the spring/summer season to 
enable affected households to plant and harvest in March/April 
¶2008.  During the first week of June, USAID/FFP enacted an 
emergency contribution to WFP Lesotho of 6,500 metric tons of 
food aid commodities, valued at US $5 million.  In early July, 
USAID/FFP enacted a further contribution of 3,750 metric tons of 
food aid, valued at $2.93 million.  (NOTE: Due to a lengthy 
 
MASERU 00000403  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
shipment pipeline, however, these commodities will take months 
to reach Lesotho.  END NOTE.) 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Significant Impact; Beyond GOL's Resources 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶5.  The current crop failure in Lesotho will have a significant 
effect on lives and livelihoods in the Kingdom, and it is beyond 
current local resources to respond adequately.  According to 
Lesotho's Disaster Management Authority (DMA), 2006/2007 maize 
production in Lesotho is down by 39% as compared to 2005/2006 
(also a drought year), and sorghum production has declined by 
42% during the same period.  On average, Lesotho's total 
agricultural production has declined 40.5% this season.  The 
price of maize is expected to rise in Lesotho between 50% and 
100% this year.  The DMA estimates that 523,351 people 
(approximately one quarter of Lesotho's population) may be in 
need of between 30,000 and 35,000 tons of food aid.  The 
magnitude of this need is beyond the current resources of the 
Government of Lesotho. 
 
¶6.  The week of April 23-30, an FAO/WFP team conducted a 
validation Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM). 
According to a May 18, 2007 report by the FAO Emergency 
Operations and Rehabilitation Division, the DMA's above 
estimation of maize and sorghum crop percentage declines were 
accurate.  FAO noted that as Lesotho only produces about a third 
of its cereal requirements even in a good year, this reduction 
has serious implications for the nation, especially the poor and 
most vulnerable groups.  FAO also remarked on a recent 25% rise 
in maize meal prices.  According to the report, the estimated 
planted area for maize is down 13.3 percent this year; sorghum 
planted area is down 16.3 percent; and wheat planted area is 
also down, by 16.4 percent.  Livestock forage supplies were 
predicted to be in deficit due to lower supplies of maize and 
other crop residues. 
 
¶7.  The FAO/WFP's official CFSAM report was issued to the GOL on 
June 11.  As 2006 was also a drought year, the report emphasized 
the scale of Lesotho's crop failure as compared to the nation's 
five-year average agricultural production figures.  By this 
measure, maize production had declined by more than 50%.  The 
report noted that many households had exhausted their coping 
capacity, and that the escalation of grain prices due to 
domestic shortages and rising maize prices in South Africa would 
further limit the access to market-purchased supplies by 
landless and urban populations, deepening food insecurity. 
 
¶8.  A delegation from C-SAFE also conducted an assessment 
mission on April 19-20, 2007.  This mission reached 
substantially similar conclusions to USAID/FFP and FAO/WFP, and 
the C-SAFE consortium submitted a concept paper for informal 
feedback to USAID/OFDA on a spring/summer planting program. 
Embassy Maseru fully supports the consortium's proposal for a 
one-year extension of the C-SAFE program (ref A). 
 
---------------- 
Food Aid Welcome 
---------------- 
 
¶9.  On July 9, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili declared a food 
disaster in Lesotho, specifically citing DMA, WFP, and FAO 
statistics to support his conclusion that a "critical situation 
of food insecurity" exists in Lesotho.  The Prime Minister 
stated that the "Government [of Lesotho] requires increased 
assistance from its development partners in order to translate 
into action plans for addressing the food insecurity situation 
in the country."  Mosisili, describing the declaration as a 
short-term measure to alleviate famine among vulnerable 
socio-economic groups, stated that the GOL will take measures to 
ensure national food security in the future, including: 
identification of agriculture as a the key sector in the 
country's Poverty Reduction Strategy; improvement of 
agricultural productivity through maximum use of arable land, 
subsidized inputs, promotion of drought resistant crops, and 
scaling up of homestead farming/gardening; promotion of block 
farming, conservation farming, and water control; and 
establishment of "Range Management Areas." 
 
¶10. The nation's Disaster Management Authority had previously 
announced that international food aid is needed to avert crisis. 
 The DMA's most recent report, issued on May 28, reflected the 
GOL's understanding of the severity of the situation and its 
 
MASERU 00000403  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
desire for international food aid.  Underscoring this desire for 
international cooperation, DMA added USAID's April 2007 Southern 
Africa Food Security Update as an appendix to its report. 
 
-------------------------- 
Aid in the U.S.'s Interest 
-------------------------- 
 
¶11.  Post concludes that it is in the interest of the United 
States Government to provide food assistance in this instance. 
As stated above, the GOL, through its Prime Minister, has 
publicly called on development partners to provide the nation 
with food aid.  In addition to the primary concern of preventing 
a humanitarian tragedy, timely food aid would likely bolster the 
already flourishing U.S.-Lesotho bilateral relationship.  The 
Government of Lesotho has been highly cooperative in 
facilitating U.S. food assistance.  Any new USG aid would be 
accompanied by appropriate Public Diplomacy efforts to maximize 
the local public affairs impact of the donations. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Indeed a Disaster, Action Needed 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶12.  The Charge d'Affaires, a.i. hereby declares a disaster in 
Lesotho and requests that USAID/OFDA provide Embassy Maseru with 
the authority to use $50,000 for the immediate, urgent need to 
mitigate a sharp increase in food insecurity.  Specific 
disbursement of funds will be requested when an appropriate 
recipient and activity has been selected.  Post also supports 
any increase in Title II emergency food aid resources, as 
possible.  Post requests that USAID/FFP work with USAID's local 
food aid partners in Lesotho to determine any additional support 
that may be necessary to assist in crop failure recovery and 
improved food security until a successful harvest can be 
realized next season. 
 
¶13.  Embassy Maseru is currently exploring the use of this 
$50,000 authorization to provide existing USG partner(s) with 
small grants to aid Lesotho's most vulnerable groups in the 
current crisis.  In addition to C-SAFE, several NGOs 
collaborating with the USG's PEPFAR Presidential Initiative, who 
are undertaking food security programs with Lesotho's most 
vulnerable victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, are possible 
partners in this emergency food security effort. 
 
¶14.  The Mission will continue to monitor the evolving situation 
in Lesotho, and expresses thanks to USAID for its continued 
support and coordination. 
MURPHY