Ethiopia

The Meher harvest period has started and is expected to continue until end of December. Overall the country has experienced favourable Meher season conditions thanks to abundant and continuous rainfall since May/June. Rainfall amounts in September have been more abundant in the Eastern parts of the country and exhibited mixed rainfall patterns in central and western parts. The rains have caused localized flooding in many parts of the country including Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Afar and Somali regions, water logging can also be a limiting factor to crop growth in parts of central and eastern Ethiopia. Pastoral communities are also benefitting from improved rangeland vegetation conditions, though herd size is still recovering after the long drought period from 2021 to 2023. In the predominantly pastoral Deyr season areas in southern Ethiopia an initial slight delay of the Oct.-Dec. rainy season can be observed and is leading to below average pastoral vegetation. This will need to be followed closely in November and December since Copernicus multi-model seasonal rainfall forecasts for this part, in accordance with the return to a La Niña phase, point towards a high probability of below average rainfall. With the start of the harvest of Meher season crops, food security conditions are expected to improve slightly in agro-pastoral areas according to a recent FEWSNET report and to the FAO October country brief.