What would the threat of famine really be like? And what about famine itself? You have seen the images. The distended bellies. Emaciated children. The flies. What is behind that face? A country in conflict, ensuing droughts, rising grain prices, a milieu of complexity with the loss of lives the tragedy. In a world that produces more than enough food to adequately provide for all seven billion of us, the child in that picture should never suffer like that. He should be healthy and he should be smiling.

Something inside of us revolts at that image.

But it's representative of something real. In 1984, the famine in Ethiopia killed over one million people. Could that level of disaster happen again?

Today Ethiopia again faces the threat of famine. The combination of drought and rising food prices has left 2.2 million Ethiopians struggling to survive without adequate food, health and nutrition. In 2006, almost half of Ethiopia's population was malnourished, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

In a country where over 80 percent of people live off the land and agriculture drives the economy - accounting for half of all domestic production - a drought could be disastrous. And there is currently not enough rain. Ethiopia could be facing hunger again on a mass scale.

FH wants to reduce this threat. Through improving agricultural production by introducing new techniques, encouraging quality natural resource management, educating about hygiene and sanitation, and providing clean water, the threat of hunger will decrease.

Simply by teaching better farming practices, people's harvests can drastically improve. One FH training involves education about compost and the impact of organic fertilizer. The result has been more crops, which equals more food, and hopefully, the eradication of hunger. In Simada, one of five FH target districts, mountains are rugged and deforestation is severe. FH is working to reduce hunger at the family and community level. Emergency food aid is delivered to severely vulnerable families to bridge the annual food gap, and simultaneously agricultural production is enhanced through trainings and the linking of farmers to markets.

Again, more crops, more food, less hunger. This couple is part of the program in Simada. Their harvest speaks for itself.

WHERE

+ Democratic Republic
-- of Congo
+ Ethiopia
+ Kenya
+ Rwanda
+ Uganda

+ FH HISTORY:

FH began working in Ethiopia in 1984 through relief efforts in response to famine. In the beginning, FH Ethiopia operated through partner organizations delivering emergency food aid to famine victims. The recurrence of the same situation after ten years urged FH to be an operational NGO directly implementing its own relief and rehabilitation programs in the country. Since that time, FH Ethiopia has grown tremendously and is working in the areas of: food security, agriculture, natural resource management, water and sanitation, primary health care, education and child development, income generation, economic development, and infrastructure development.

+ ETHIOPIA'S HISTORY:

While much of Africa was divided, conquered, and colonized, Ethiopia remained an independent nation, making it the oldest independent country on the continent. Though it spared the exploitation of resources that many African nations have endured, Ethiopia's history isn't free from Western influence.

Following a 44 year reign, Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by a military junta led by Mengistu Haile Mariam. Dominated by a socialist agenda and responsible for the death, abuse and intimidation of thousands of opponents, Mengistu's militaristic rule lasted 17 years. The political strife stirring in this period was only augmented by extensive drought and large movements of refugee populations.

In 1991, Mengistu's reign was defeated by coalition forces led by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), opening the door for Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's current Prime Minister, to come into power. Zenawi is now in his third term as Prime Minister. Ethiopia remains a nation characterized by polarity: breathtaking landscapes surround the threat of drought and food insecurity, a noble history of independence stands despite years of border wars and internal displacement, a dignified and resilient people in the face of struggle.

+ FACTS:

+ Ethiopia has never been colonized and is Africa's longest standing independent country

+ Four million children are orphans in Ethiopia, which is 12% of the child population

+ Chronic food insecurity and water shortage caused by chronic drought and periodic famine threaten millions of Ethiopians each year

+ Nearly half (46%) of Ethiopia's population suffers from malnutrition

+ 78% of Ethiopians lack access to safe water

+ Facts From: IRIN, CIA, The World Factbook, UNHCR, UNICEF.

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