Famine Early Warning Systems Network

Bimodal areas:

Steady rainfall of 80-150 percent of normal since mid-April has partially compensated for moisture deficits that resulted from delayed and below-average rainfall in March. Total cumulative rainfall for the season is still forecast to be average. With the start of rainfall, seasonal activities are now underway and providing agricultural labor opportunities to poor households. Pasture conditions and water availability for production are also improving in the cattle corridor districts of Nakasongola, Luwero, and Nakaseke. Vegetation conditions, livestock body conditions, and milk production all remain slightly below or near the long-term average throughout bimodal areas, but are seasonally improving.

Wholesale prices of bananas, sorghum, and maize have increased seasonally as a result of declining food stocks from the previous harvest and steady demand. The price of dry beans, finger millet, and cassava chips was stable in Lira, Soroti, and Kabale. Between January and March, the volume of staple foods exported to South Sudan, including maize, sorghum, and rice, remained below average compared to both the first quarter of 2015 and pre-conflict levels, due to insecurity in South Sudan and depreciation of the South Sudanese Pound.

Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity is maintained in bimodal areas. Households are consuming food stocks from last season’s production, which are expected to last through mid-May, and supplementing with market purchases to meet their food needs. Poor households are accessing agricultural labor opportunities, providing income for food purchases.

Unimodal Karamoja:

Delayed and below-average rainfall in March postponed seasonal activities by 1-2 weeks. However, with the establishment of average rainfall in April, land preparation and planting activities started and are currently ongoing. Pasture conditions and water resources are below-average to average compared to typical April levels, but are improving following April rainfall. As a result, livestock body conditions are slightly below average and milk production is lower than usual. However, livestock productivity will improve in May, increasing household milk consumption.

The seasonal increase in retail prices of maize, beans, sorghum and cassava flour have constrained poor households’ food access. Many households have been dependent on markets to access food for an atypical amount of time, given the early depletion of stocks in December 2015. Household purchasing power has decreased as food prices seasonally increase. From February to March, sorghum prices increased between 6 and 16 percent while maize increased between 6 and 13 percent.

Income from agricultural labor and recent vegetable crops are slightly improving food security during the lean season. Although agricultural labor incomes were below-average in March due to poor rainfall, labor opportunities are at average levels in April, providing households with income that is increasing food access.

Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity persists for some poor households in Moroto, Napak, Kaabong, Nakapiripirit, and Kotido Districts. It is expected that the population currently in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) in Moroto and Kaabong is greater than 20 percent. Food security is improving slightly through increased agricultural labor opportunities and the availability of vegetable harvests. Households are further supporting consumption through continued use of coping activities including increased participation in stone quarrying, sand mining, and brewing. However, income remains inadequate for many poor households to meet both their minimum food and non-food needs. Interannual humanitarian assistance through WFP and the Resiliency through Wealth, Agriculture, and Nutrition (RWANU) project under ACDI-VOCA remain ongoing, as well as from the Office of the Prime Minister, which has distributed food commodities in Kotido, Moroto and Nakapiripirit.