Yemen: conflict, aridity and the collapse of food access

Overview

Recall questions on Yemen's location and arid climate, why it grows little of its food and imports most cereals through Hodeidah, the civil war since 2014 and its damage to food access and production, qat and water use, groundwater depletion under Sana'a, currency collapse, the use pillar, and how physical and human causes combine.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Where in the world is Yemen?

   Model answer

   Yemen occupies the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman with coasts on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

2. 2

   Describe the climate of most of Yemen.

   Model answer

   It is arid to semi-arid, with very high temperatures and low, unreliable rainfall, and only the western highlands receive enough monsoon rain to be useful for farming.

3. 3

   Explain why Yemen can grow only a small share of the food it needs.

   Model answer

   Very little of the country receives enough rain for rain-fed cropping, cultivable soil is confined to highland terraces and wadi floors, and the groundwater that irrigates the rest is being exhausted.

4. 4

   Roughly what proportion of its staple cereals does Yemen import?

   Model answer

   Around 90%, which makes it one of the most import-dependent countries in the world for wheat and rice.

5. 5

   Which port handles the bulk of Yemen's food imports?

   Model answer

   Hodeidah, on the Red Sea coast.

6. 6

   Explain why damage to a single port can create hunger across the whole of Yemen.

   Model answer

   With almost all cereals imported and one port dominating that trade, any interruption there cuts the supply reaching most of the population at the same moment.

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