East Africa

Burundi

Key Message Update

Average Season B harvest still likely despite bean losses from heavy rains

IPC 2.0 Acute Food Insecurity Phase

1: Minimal

2: Stressed

3+: Crisis or higher

Would likely be at least one phase worse without
current or programmed humanitarian assistance

FEWS NET classification is IPC-compatible. IPC-compatible analysis follows key IPC protocols but does not necessarily reflect the consensus of national food security partners.

FEWS NET Remote Monitoring countries use a colored outline to represent the highest IPC classification in areas of concern.

May 2018

The map shows the highest phase classification in Burundi is Stressed (IPC Phase 2).

June - September 2018

May 2018

Key Messages:

Above-average rains through April caused widespread bean losses and also negatively affected marshland crops but benefited others. However, the total Season B harvest in June is still likely to be average as beans and marshland crops account for about 20 and 10 percent, respectively, of total acreage. Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes are expected to persist countrywide through September; however, many poor households in severely flooded areas of Bujumbura Rural, Bubanza, and Kirundo provinces are likely to be in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) due to displacement and severe crop losses.

After staple prices remained atypically low through April during the lean season due to above-normal food reserves, bean prices began increasing in May as the market anticipated a significantly reduced harvest of that commodity. In Kirundo, the price of beans rose approximately 40 percent from early April to mid-May, though prices are likely to ease later this month as more beans are harvested across the country.

The Governments of Burundi and Tanzania plan to continue to facilitate the repatriation of 72,000 refugees through December 2018, and most returnees receive three months of food. Assistance is also needed for approximately 16,000 people, according to IOM, displaced by ongoing flooding and landslides. Despite WFP and UNHCR funding shortfalls, recent returnees, IDPs, and the 36,000 Congolese refugees living in camps are fully dependent on humanitarian assistance to cover their minimum food needs. In the absence of this assistance, they would likely face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes.

Region Contact Information:

Email: burundi@fews.net