Farm Insurance Retreats as El Niño Advances
FEWS NET, a food-security monitoring network, warned in October that June-to-September rainfall deficits could substantially reduce the 2026 "Meher" harvest, while regional forecasts point to a higher chance of floods in southern Ethiopia between October and December. Parts of Tigray Regional State, the Tekeze River catchment and East and West Hararghe received less than 50pc of normal rainfall, with production losses above 40pc in some locations, according to AGRA's September 2026 Food Security Monitor. El Niño's effects are particularly visible in the Amhara, Tigray and Afar regional states, while parts of the Somali Regional State were already dealing with an earlier drought.