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Season B harvests expected to be average to above average

  • Remote Monitoring Report
  • Burundi
  • May 2019
Season B harvests expected to be average to above average

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  • Key Messages
  • Key Messages
    • Driven by well-distributed rainfall since mid-April, average to above-average Season B harvests are expected in May/June, including in localized areas of Kirundo, where Season A crops failed in March, and in the southern and eastern lowlands, where April rainfall was below average. Minimal (IPC Phase 1) is expected in some communes, but many poor households are unable to afford essential non-food expenditures and will remain Stressed (IPC Phase 2), namely in the Humid Plateaus, Eastern Arid Plateaus, and Northern Lowlands. This is driven by ongoing recovery from recent climate hazards and by reduced labor productivity in areas that have had higher-than-normal malaria prevalence since January.

    • Food access is improving for the very poor as staple food prices decline, driven by the increasing availability of the ongoing harvests. With the exception of beans, prices in April were lower than the April 2018 and three-year averages. In Kirundo, the main bean-producing area, bean prices decreased from 1200 FBu/kg in April to 1100 FBu/kg in mid-May, which is equal to the three-year average but nearly 40 percent above the May 2018 average of 800 FBu/kg. Although low staple food prices are less favorable for net producers, they allow very poor households to better meet their minimum food needs since they depend on labor income and food purchases more than own food production.

    • Approximately 3,000 Burundians returned from Tanzania in April and received a three-month ration from WFP upon their return. Meanwhile, the arrival rate of Congolese refugees has reportedly increased to 500-600 per month since March. WFP reports that 43,800 people hosted in refugee settlements received food assistance in April. As a result of food assistance, both groups are expected to be Stressed! (IPC Phase 2!) in May.

    • According to IOM, the number of IDPs has declined by approximately 12 percent since March to 124,000 IDPs, as some households returned home to pursue Season B agricultural activities. Most IDPs and previously resettled returnees no longer receive humanitarian assistance but are engaged in agricultural production, labor, petty trade, or other livelihoods opportunities. These groups are most likely Stressed (IPC Phase 2), though a small proportion may be in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

    In remote monitoring, a coordinator typically works from a nearby regional office. Relying on partners for data, the coordinator uses scenario development to conduct analysis and produce monthly reports. As less data may be available, remote monitoring reports may have less detail than those from countries with FEWS NET offices. Learn more about our work here.

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