As below-average harvest starts to enter markets, food security seasonally improves

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The October to May rainy season in Angola was very dry compared to average and poorly distributed, including both heavy rainfall periods and long dry spells. In western and coastal Angola, the rains started over a month late, and conditions remained very dry, with below-average rainfall throughout most of the season. However, periods of heavy rainfall in some areas led to flooding. Between March and April, floods occurred in Cunene and areas of central Angola including in Benguela City and Lobito, Catumbela, Cubal, Navegantes, and Baía Farta Municipalities in Bengula Province. In one episode of heavy rainfall in Lobito on April 4 and 5, 180 millimeters of rain fell. In the surplus-producing central provinces, northern provinces, and southern deficit-producing agropastoral areas, the season started closer to on time, but the rainfall was poorly distributed. There were long dry periods and episodes of excessive rainfall, especially in March and April.
The ongoing harvest is increasing food availability in most areas of Angola in May, although production is likely to be below average at the national level. Surplus-producing central provinces, including Huambo, Bié, Malanje, and parts of Uíge, had crop conditions improve late in the season, so while the harvest is still below average, these areas are already sending food to urban centers and western and coastal areas. As a result, market supply of maize flour, beans, cassava, and horticultural products has increased, with consequent seasonal price stabilization occurring in some urban and peri-urban markets. In southern, semi-arid, deficit-producing areas, field assessments indicate that delayed planting, reduced planted area, and erratic rainfall distribution led to below-average maize and sorghum harvests, sustaining unseasonally high food prices in May.
Below-average agricultural production continues to drive acute food insecurity in southern, semi-arid, agropastoral livelihood zones. Livestock production is limited as herd sizes remain low due to slow recovery from dry conditions in previous years, limiting both sales of milk and milk availability for home consumption. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MINAGRIF) launched the annual national livestock vaccination campaign in May to prevent further losses as cross-border transmission of livestock diseases is common due to trade and migration patterns. The below-average maize and sorghum harvest led to fewer agricultural labor opportunities in this deficit-producing area. As a result, poor households are experiencing reductions in both income and own-produced food stocks and are increasing their reliance on alternative income-earning activities, such as charcoal production, firewood sales, petty trade, and informal labor, to afford food purchases from the market.
Heavy rainfall and flooding in April disrupted livelihoods and food access. In Benguela Province, many households are displaced and approximately 20,000 are staying in two collective centers in Benguela City. Flood-displaced households continued to depend on emergency food assistance, temporary shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene support in May. In low-lying areas along the Cavaco and Catumbela river basins, poor households lost planted crops during the peak maturation period, reducing expected harvests and seasonal labor income. In Cunene Province, 500 households lost their crops. While floodwaters improved pasture and water availability in some southern areas, floodwaters have continued to cause disruptions to trade and humanitarian operations.
Angola has been experiencing a cholera outbreak since January 2025. The outbreak initially began due to excessive rainfall and flooding, before improving with drier conditions in June 2025. From April 12 to May 10, 2026, there were 2,120 new cholera cases and 36 new deaths reported. Health authorities and humanitarian partners reported persistent transmission in Benguela, Catumbela, Baía-Farta, and Chongoroi municipalities in Benguela Province in central Angola in May. Flood-related contamination of water sources, limited access to safe drinking water, and inadequate sanitation conditions in temporary displacement sites has led to continued risk for further transmission.
High food prices and transport costs continue to constrain poor households’ purchasing power. Although annual inflation declined to 11.58 percent in April 2026, the lowest level since mid-2023, food and transport costs remain significantly above average and continue limiting household food access. According to National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Central Bank (BNA) data, food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed nearly 7 percentage points to headline inflation in April. Fuel import costs increased by nearly 40 percent between March and April primarily due to conflict in the Middle East. Elevated transportation costs continue to contribute to high and increasing staple food prices in remote rural markets, particularly in southern and eastern deficit-producing areas. Poor urban households in Luanda, Benguela, and Huambo remain market-dependent and continue to face constrained purchasing power despite relative exchange rate stability and no new increases in the fuel prices since July 2025.

Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Angola Key Message Update May - September 2026: As below-average harvest starts to enter markets, food security seasonally improves, 2026.

This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.