Atlas Final Web Version 6_14
Atlas Final Web Version 6_14
Atlas Final Web Version 6_14
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Which crops are especially important during the hunger seasons?<br />
Green Maize<br />
‘Green’ maize here refers to maize that is nearing maturity but is<br />
harvested for immediate consumption before it has thoroughly<br />
dried. It is not the same as ‘corn-on-the-cob’, which is very<br />
immature and has a relatively low calorie content. Green maize<br />
is cut in order to break the hunger season before the harvestproper.<br />
These maps provide an analysis of the role of green<br />
maize in areas with a ‘belg pattern’ hunger season, i.e. a hunger<br />
season that lasts from February-May/June and is brought to an<br />
end with the harvesting of belg crops in June/July. But how<br />
is it that some areas that have a belg ‘pattern’ hunger season<br />
have a kremt dominant rainfall pattern? (See map on right.)<br />
For SNNPR the answer is closely linked to the pattern of maize<br />
production and the early harvesting of green maize on a<br />
relatively large scale. As the map on the left shows, green maize<br />
typically provides about 2 months consumption across central<br />
and northern SNNPR. The effect of this is to bring the harvest<br />
forwards, to end the hunger season early and to create a ‘belg’<br />
rather than a ‘meher’ pattern of hunger season. In central SNNPR<br />
the performance of the belg rains is especially important for<br />
food security. If the belg rains are delayed or fail completely, the<br />
planting and therefore harvesting of maize is delayed, resulting<br />
in a prolonged and more severe hunger season compared to<br />
normal.<br />
Crop Production & Livelihoods<br />
Green maize consumption for poor<br />
households<br />
Number of months<br />
consumed<br />
0<br />
< 1.5<br />
1.5 - 3<br />
No Data<br />
The left-hand map shows how many<br />
months consumption is covered by belg<br />
season green maize (i.e. green maize<br />
harvested before September). Belg season<br />
green maize is especially important<br />
throughout central SNNPR.<br />
The right-hand map shows the pattern<br />
Rainfall pattern<br />
Dominant season<br />
Belg<br />
Kremt<br />
No Data<br />
of rainfall in areas with a ‘belg pattern’<br />
hunger season. In areas that get most<br />
of their rain during the belg season (the<br />
light-blue shaded areas), it is easy to<br />
understand that crop production will also<br />
be concentrated during the belg season<br />
and that the main hunger season will<br />
occur before the main belg harvests.<br />
30 The Livelihoods <strong>Atlas</strong> for Ethiopia The Livelihoods Integration Unit
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