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Mauritania appeals for food aid

By AHMED MOHAMED, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 30 minutes ago

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania - The government of Mauritania is appealing to international donors to help it reverse a food shortage affecting more than 1 million people.

Mohamed Ould Mohamedou, a minister of social welfare, said agricultural production has fallen 31 percent this year compared to 2006. Shepherds have not been able to find sufficient pasture, forcing them to roam into neighboring Mali and Senegal in search of better grazing ground. The cost of basic foods, as well as animal feed, has increased, adding to the strain.

"We need 47,000 tons of cereals and other foodstuff to help 1 million of our citizens in 192 rural communities now facing a food crisis," said Mohamedou, who met Friday with ambassadors from Western countries and aid groups to rally help.

The problems have led to a "massive exodus" from the country's rural interior toward population centers such as the capital Nouakchott, said Mohamedou. The situation may get significantly worse as Mauritania enters its fallow season this month and July.

Mauritania is a country of 3 million perched on the southwestern fringe of the Sahara desert, where nearly 74 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

Since 2002, the country has experienced a decrease in rainfall, invasions of crop-eating crickets and cold fronts that have killed at least 100,000 head of cattle.

Mauritania appeals for food aid (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070603/ap_on_re_af/mauritania_food_crisis;_ylt=AoJyAIVv3f4BGSwwmqk6M8xvaA8F)