
Improving Relief and Development Responses to
Climate Variability: Lessons from the 2015 – 2016 El Niño in Southern Africa
El Niño weather system was one of the strongest on record, causing drought and flooding in locations across the world. Parts of sub-Saharan Africa were particularly hard hit. In Southern Africa, low or erratic rainfall caused serious drought and associated food insecurity in 10 countries, severely testing the coping strategies of households, communities, and governments and prompting an emergency response by donors.