A woman carries a heavy sack of wheat along a saturated road. Unusually heavy summer rains have caused severe flooding, displacing almost 190,000 people

Local people seek shelter as a downpour turns the main street of Lalibela into a river. The heavy rains have increased the risk of food insecurity in the region. Ethiopia’s government estimates that 10.2 million people nationwide will require food aid in 2016

Rural families gather at a muddy compound at the edge of Lalibela to receive sacks of wheat. In January, USAid announced an additional $97m (£79m) in emergency assistance for Ethiopia, to address the crisis triggered by the unusually strong El Niño. Across southern Africa, countries have been appealing for help with the worst drought for 35 years

Storm clouds build as a sister and brother make their way across a terraced field

Despite their lush appearance at the peak of the unusually wet season, the northern highlands are very susceptible to dramatic swings in levels of rainfall. Coming after one of the worst droughts in decades, the rains could threaten staple cereal and vegetable crops

Ethiopia is a densely populated country with a population of more than 100 million. Farming is vital on these highland slopes, but their barren ground and eroded soil are unsuited to agriculture

A typical highland family farm. An initiative to reforest the area’s denuded slopes with eucalyptus trees has not really taken off, as young trees are chopped for firewood or the construction of traditional ‘tukul’ houses

Every day, young men who are unemployed wait in the centre of Lalibela hoping to pick up work as guides. Officially, the urban unemployment rate is 17.5% but there are no figures for rural unemployment

Vendors sell their produce at the weekly market in Lalibela. According to the UN Development Programme, 80% of Ethiopia’s workforce are employed in agriculture

A group of men walk back to their village. Walking is the most common mode of transport in the highlands, where there are few motorbikes and people often have to cross difficult terrain to reach the nearest town

A woman prepares a cooking fire using charcoal. Roughly 96% of Ethiopians are dependent on biomass fuels, such as firewood, charcoal and dung. This dependence leads to rampant deforestation in the highlands, which in turn leads to flash floods, because woodland undergrowth plays a useful role in holding back floodwaters

A vendor measures out teff, the indigenous Ethiopian grain. This poppy seed-sized grain, the country’s staple cereal, is gluten-free and has been touted as a new superfood. But farmers in the northern highlands are more concerned about whether heavy rains will prevent them growing enough teff to stave off hunger

A highlander walks through fields of vividly green teff. The grain, which is rich in protein, calcium and iron, is used to make injera, the flatbread many Ethiopians eat daily, but the drought and subsequent flooding have threatened crops. Across the country, 400,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition