Renewed fighting in Tigray is compounding an already severe drought, leaving farmers with failed plantings, dying livestock and worsening food insecurity, according to local officials and farmers reported by Addis Standard.

The Tigray Bureau of Agriculture and the Tigray Disaster Risk Management Commission have become non‑functional amid the fighting, raising doubts about the government’s capacity to respond to the drought.

In Raya Azebo woreda, delayed rainfall has left only about 400 hectares of crops showing growth out of more than 26,000 hectares of farmland, with roughly 10,000 hectares remaining uncultivated.

Farmers such as Shek Mohammod Zeyinu say the area, once a key agricultural producer, has lost three consecutive farming seasons to delayed rains, forcing households to rely on dwindling livestock for survival.

In neighboring Irob woreda, farmer Aynabugs Weldu reports that no rain has fallen since June, causing the death of 20 out of his 25 livestock and leaving his family with only a single daily meal.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) warned in its September 2026–January 2027 Ethiopia update that crisis‑level food insecurity (IPC Phase 3) is expected to persist in southern and eastern Tigray, driven by fighting, delayed crops and a below‑average meher harvest.

Former deputy head of the Tigray Bureau of Agriculture, Abera Kedenew, said the bureau’s senior staff are no longer available and remaining employees are only safeguarding premises, leaving formal office operations suspended.

Before the escalation, the bureau had distributed over 2,000 units of chickpea seed and more than 80 motor pumps to support irrigation, but those measures cannot be continued while the bureau remains inactive.

Local officials warn that without urgent humanitarian assistance, both people and livestock face severe risk of death, and prolonged inaction could push many households toward starvation and displacement.