SITUATION OVERVIEW The SADC region has experienced a devastating El Niño-induced drought which has impacted negatively on livelihoods and quality of life. An estimated 40 million people are affected, of whom 23 million require immediate emergency assistance. The main October 2015 to April 2016 rainfall season was delayed and erratic. The October to December 2015 period, which represents the first half of the cropping season, was the driest in more than 35 years over many parts of the region, and was coupled with above average temperatures. Countries most affected include Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 1 Oct 2015 - 20 Feb 2016 Rainfall Rank staple food) deficit of about 5.1 million tonnes, which is a 10 per cent decrease in production compared to last year and a 15 per cent drop compared to the 5-year average. The biggest declines were reported in Lesotho (70 per cent) and Swaziland (59 per cent). South Africa, usually the main provider of maize to the region, is itself facing a massive cereal deficit, which means that other SADC Member States who rely on South Africa may have to import from elsewhere at a significantly higher cost at a time of weakening local currencies. While poor rainfall was predicted, the sheer scale and severity of the situation has overwhelmed the disaster preparedness capacity of most of the affected Member States, particularly as the current drought is the second consecutive poor rainfall season: the region entered the El Niño period with more than 28 million people food insecure (10 per cent of the region’s population), and an overall cereal deficit of 7.8 million tons (down 23 per cent from 2013/2014), which provides an indication of the extreme levels of vulnerability to the current drought. While the effects of the drought are already apparent, the peak phase of this emergency is expected to start in October 2016 and last through to March 2017. The meagre harvests of April 2016 are providing some relief, but these are being quickly depleted. The lean period is therefore anticipated to start earlier and last longer than in most years and for some areas this emergency phase will have continued from last year, requiring a complete reprogramming of humanitarian operations. Driest Wettest Driest/wettest rainfall totals since 1981 Source: FEWS NET, USGS. Many sectors have been affected, including food security, livelihoods, agriculture, livestock, nutrition, health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The drought has also in some cases seriously eroded decades of hard-won developmental gains, putting great strain on the fiscus of most governments in the process of recovering from global financial crises. The region recorded an overall maize (the main 6 An estimated 2.7 million children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition and require urgent treatment, and this figure is expected to rise significantly as the lean season approaches. Livestock production, a critical component of livelihoods in the region, has also been affected, with more than 643,000 cattle deaths reported as a result of El Niño-induced drought which spurred diseases, poor pasture and lack of water with major longerterm negative consequences. At household level, livestock provides food, income and is generally used as a ‘savings account’, while at national and