The good news: Ethiopia, a byword for famine, produced 24 per cent more grain this year than last. The bad news: these surpluses often don鈥檛 prevent famine. Because the extra food isn鈥檛 distributed around the country, it can cause a local glut and plummeting grain prices that leave farmers with little money to invest in their farms. Elsewhere, people are unable to buy the grain and go hungry.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on 28 January that it hopes to break out of this trap by buying the surplus, and then for the first time managing it in two different ways. The 2.2 million Ethiopians suffering an acute emergency this year will get straightforward food aid. But 5 million chronically hungry people will get food in return for 鈥渃ommiting to community work projects鈥�, which will eventually bring in cash as well, Paulette Jones of WFP in Addis Ababa told New 杏吧原创.
