Yemen’s Agriculture in Distress
Publisher: Conflict and Environment Observatory
Date: 2020
Topics: Climate Change, Disasters, Governance, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Yemen
Agriculture is the lifeblood of the Yemeni economy and its culture. However, the assessment of environmental change during Yemen’s armed conflict reveals severe agricultural distress that is widespread throughout the country. Our analysis of the potential drivers of these changes indicates that, for the most part, they have occurred because of factors linked to its conflict. In many cases, the impact of these factors has been amplified by historical policies, especially around water access, which have increased vulnerability.
Yemen is food insecure, and many Yemenis face famine conditions. Because of this it is important that urgent steps are taken to limit further losses to its agricultural sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced humanitarian assistance to Yemen, impeding access and reducing donor funding. Protecting and restoring Yemen’s agricultural sector in an economically, environmentally and culturally sustainable way will be critical for increasing the resilience of Yemen’s people.
In this report, Eoghan Darbyshire uses open-source datasets to show the agricultural areas in distress and investigate to what extent the conflict has been responsible for the deterioration.