The harvest of all major crops and Meher crops was completed in December 2015, leaving only some minor coarse grains tobe harvested in January 2016. Over the reporting period, all agroclimaticindicators were about average, including seasonally low rainfall. Crop condition at the time of harvest was below the average of the previous five seasons, and marked regional differences can be identified based on NDVIprofiles (Figure 3.12).

In general, conditions were average inwestern and southern areas representing about 50% of croplands. This includes the northwest lowland areas where sesame, roots and cereals are cultivated (rainfall+52%) as well as the south-western coffee-enset highlands (+16% precipitation).The other half experienced consistently below average conditions in particularin centre and east Oromia and in Tigray; the rainfall deficit was largest inthe north-western sesame irrigated lowlands (-22%). In the south-eastern MendeboHighlands (-12% to 156mm for the reporting period) rainfall was moderatelybelow average, as well as in the mixed maize zone (-8% to 149mm). The croppedarable land fraction dropped 2% but this figure is difficult to interpret becauseof unusual crop condition and phenology. Overall, environmental and crop conditions were unfavorable.

Figure3.12. Ethiopia crop condition, October 2015-January 2016

(a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

                                                               (b) Maximum VCI

(c) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA

                                                  (d) NDVI profiles