OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Central America - Drought
5 April 2002


WFP will require USD 4.8 million in contributions from the international
community to assist 155,000 people in Guatemala.

Guatemala

1.  Guatemala was hard-hit by drought last year. As a consequence of the
drought, about 80% of maize crops were lost in the provinces of El
Progreso and Zacapa, and 60% in Santa Rosa, Baja Verapaz, Suchitepéquez,
Retalhuleu, Escuintla and Chiquimula.  Meanwhile, the fall of
international coffee prices has caused the elimination of about 50% of the
500,000 jobs that are usually available during the October - February
period. Even those who are able to secure employment in the coffee
plantations are not able to purchase all of their basic requirements as
the salaries are lower than before.

2.  On 19 March 2002, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) approved
an emergency operation in Guatemala to assist 155,000 people, for a period
of six months including 60,000 children under five years old who are
suffering from acute malnutrition. 6,000 of these children are at risk of
dying if not helped immediately. The emergency operation will require
8,553 metric tons of food and WFP will require USD 4.8 million in
contributions from the international community for the emergency
operation.

3.  In this emergency operation, WFP will focus its assistance on 88 of
the 102 municipalities most affected by the drought. The municipalities
were chosen via an evaluation and nutritional census carried out by the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), the Guatemalan Ministry of Health and
WFP's Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping Unit. The remaining 14
municipalities will be covered by international NGOs.

4.  WFP will work with humanitarian organizations such as Action Against
Hunger, Red Cross, World Vision and some active national NGOs and local
organizations. UNICEF and the Guatemalan Ministry of Health will provide
technical assistance and monitor the Therapeutic Feeding Centers.

For more information please contact:

   Dorte Ellehammer
   Country Director
   WFP/Guatemala
   E-mail: Dorte.ellehammer@wfp.org
   Tel. 502+333-4897

   Francisco Roque Castro
   Regional Director
   WFP/Latin America
   E-mail: Francisco.roque@wfp.org
   Tel. 505+266-2566, Managua
   El Salvador


5.  Following the two strong earthquakes of January and February 2001, a
severe drought affected four eastern provinces. Agricultural losses of up
to 80% were reported in Usulutan, San Miguel, Morazan and La Union. Some
318,640 persons were affected and about 113,400 MT of beans and maize were
lost.

6.  WFP assisted 20,000 drought-affected producers in 31 municipalities
and provided food for work coordinated by NGOs, assisting 10,000 families
in 29 municipalities.

7.  The coming months will be difficult in terms of food security. The
affected communities are usually located in very isolated regions. The
possible arrival of El Nio is raising concern among farmers. With reports
varying from too much rain to too little, farmers are unsure how to react.
Many are considering not to plant in order not to lose investment capital
and seeds.

8.  WFP plans to assist from February to July 2002, the 12,000 most
food-insecure families as a result of the drought, as well as
approximately 5,000 families that will not yet have recovered from the
2001 earthquakes.


Nicaragua

9.  In 2001, the drought severely affected 37,000 farming families,
pushing some 105,000 persons into food insecurity when some 107,720
hectares of agriculture were lost.

10.  WFP provided 1,974 MT of food for work assistance to 45,415 persons
in 22 of the most affected districts of the country. Food assistance was
expanded to 59,000 children that were at nutritional risk.

11.  Tropical Storm Michelle affected Nicaragua's Atlantic coast in
October 2001.  Over 37,000 persons were affected and 5 died. WFP provided
120 MT of food to 20,700 persons in 79 communities.

12.  As El Nio is also expected to hit hard in Nicaragua, the accumulated
effect of continuous droughts since 1997 will be felt in 2002. Large
amounts of families have completely depleted their assets and are likely
to again become food insecure. The fall of the international price of
coffee will have a very serious impact in large segments of the rural
population.


Honduras

13.  Honduras was the hardest hit country by the 2001 drought that
affected most of Central America. Some 66,900 farmers were affected,
leaving about 316,745 persons in food insecurity.  The most affected
provinces were Choluteca, Francisco Morazan, Intibuca, Valle, El Paraiso,
and Comayagua. WFP provided 4,735 MT of food assistance to 150,960
persons.

14.  In October 2001, Tropical Storm Michelle hit the northern coast of
Honduras affecting some 61,000 persons. Over 51,000 hectares were lost in
the agricultural sector, mainly among subsistence farmers.  The most badly
hit districts were located in the Province of Yoro. WFP provided 265 MT of
food assistance to 1,500 families.

15.  Honduras can expect to continue feeling the impact of the drought
during 2002. This is translated into more food insecurity and extreme
poverty. Consequently, an increase in malnutrition is expected, especially
among children under 5, as well as an increase in internal and
international migration.

16.  This Situation Report and further information on ongoing emergencies
are also available on the OCHA Website at http://www.reliefweb.int


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
  Mr. Erik Haegglund direct Tel. +41-22-917 32 99
  Ms. Masayo Kondo direct Tel. +41-22-917 19 97
  Ms. Federica D'Andreagiovanni direct Tel. +41-22-917 14 78

Press contact:
  (GVA)  Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 56
  (NYC)  Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32


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