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30/06/2006 - DJIBOUTI - Drought-affected pastoralists facing tough times

NAIROBI, 30 June (IRIN) - Cattle farmers in Djibouti are facing an uncertain future due to continuing drought conditions and a lack of long-term planning for pastoralists in the Horn of Africa state, an early warning agency said.

"In the absence of long-term measures to protect and restore livelihoods [...] pastoral livelihoods are in real jeopardy," reported the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net) in its June update on the food situation in Djibouti.

Several seasons of failed rains have meant that cattle farmers are unable to recover from a loss of pasture and water, and the agency warns that they will be unlikely to fully regain their livelihoods in the near future.

"The benefits to water, browse [cattle fodder] and pasture for pastoralists are dwindling with the advance of the current dry season, raising concern about the adequacy of these resources for livestock herds [...] Water is becoming scarce and almost all water catchments are drying out," FEWS Net said.

The cattle themselves are said to be in poor physical condition in the northwest and southeast pastoral zones. Despite some rain in April, the next rains are not expected until July-September.

A spokesman for the United Nations World Food Programme said the agency was distributing food to 70,000 recipients in rural areas of Djibouti.

Both rural and urban residents are cutting down on their food expenditure, a situation that has been exacerbated for those living in Djibouti city by the departure of expatriate military personnel based in the country for their summer holidays.

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