Drought in Moldova (2007)

Moldova is presently suffering the country’s worst drought since 1946, with peak temperatures of three to four centigrades above normal temperatures, and with only 50-75% of normal rainfalls (25% in the Southern part of the country). The soil moister has been reduced to one third of the normal level. The fact that this drought is following unusually dry weather in 2005-2006 and the 2003 drought has worsened the effects of it. The country’s water resources are diminishing and private wells are completely dried out in parts of the country.

The impacts on the agricultural sector have been severe. The year’s harvest of winter wheat is 44.5% of last year’s harvest, maize 27.6%, sunflower 28.6% and peas 35.8%. Due to the drought and increased fodder prices, livestock is also severely affected and de-stocking of household cattle holdings is estimated to 1/3 , depending on the region. Overall, the immediate losses have been estimated to about one billion USD at current market prices.

This will affect farmers and vulnerable groups of the population, which are many times the same. Almost 60 % of the population lives in the rural areas and about 40 % of the labor force is employed in the agricultural sector. Many poor households in Moldova are dependant on subsistent farming and home gardens, and the drought means not only loss of income but also increased food expenditures. Another challenge is to ensure that farmers have access to seed for the October sowing, in order not to endanger next year’s production. To prevent further re-stocking of livestock animal will be another important task, both to avoid future loss of income but also to ensure an important source of protein intake among the population.

The Government of Moldova has also taken a number of measures to ease the impacts on the farmers and has asked its development partners for assistance.

During a field trip in southern Moldova on August 9, the Moldova Country Office team met with farmers and with ACSA (Moldova’s agricultural extension service) and saw the damaged crops in the fields. The small-scale commercial producers that the team met where mainly worried about seeds access for future sowing. They also confirmed that they had had to slaughter animals as a result of increased fodder prices, and a decrease in aggregate dairy production was expected.