Since June 2015, Ethiopia has been affected by the worst drought in the last 30–50 years,with over 10.2 million people in need of food assistance as of December 2015, compared to 2.9 million in the beginning of 2015. In 2016, the number of people in need is expected to reach over 15 million.

Most of the regions of Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR are reported to be in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) food insecurity. In the most affected areas, over 75% of meher cropping production has been lost, one million livestock have died, and over 1.7million are reportedly at risk due to bad body conditions. Meher cropping represents 90%of the country’s total grain production, which accounts for 80% of Ethiopian agriculture.