Famine Early Warning Systems Network

After a late start of rainfall delayed crop planting by 20-30 days, heavy and regular rainfall has occurred across the entire country since mid-July. Cumulative rainfall totals between April 1 and August 10 ranged from 130 mm (in 12 days of rain) in the far north (at the Déou station) to 758 mm (in 36 days of rain) in the west (at the N’Dorola station). In general, these cumulative rainfall numbers are close to the five-year average, except for the few slight rainfall deficits in eastern and central-western areas (Figure 1).

Frequent, heavy rainfall since mid-July has severely disrupted some crop maintenance activities and proper crop growth and development, particularly in lowland areas. It also caused flooding resulting in property damage, particularly in Centre, Hauts Bassins, Est, Sahel, Nord, and Centre-Ouest Regions. However, these rains have also helped to promote good levels of new pasture growth, strengthening food availability for livestock.

Currently during the peak of the lean season, the supply of staple foods on local markets is considered satisfactory compared to a normal year. According to the CICB, the national trade association for the cereal and cowpea trade (Comité des Interprofessions de Céréales et de Niébé du Burkina), the inventories of wholesale traders and farmers unions are at approximately 30,000 metric tons, 34 percent lower than last month. Adding to commercial stocks, ongoing government-subsidized sales of maize and rice are helping to strengthen household food availability. Cash transfer payments and/or distributions of food vouchers by humanitarian organizations in the far northern areas of the country have helped bring down the food insecurity of most poor households (of which at least 76 percent were previously in Crisis (IPC Phase 3)) to Stressed (IPC Phase 2!). On the whole, cereal prices have stayed close to the five-year average. Prices for millet, the staple of local populations, are below the five-year average by eight percent and 12 percent, respectively, on the Dori and Gorom-Gorom markets (in the Sahelian region). 

As is normally the case during the lean season, poor households are meeting their food needs in part through the collection of wild foods such as the leaves of baobab trees, cassia trees, bean plants, etc. Their main sources of income are farm labor, sales of livestock, and migrant remittances. Demand for farm labor has picked up over the past month as a result of the delay in crop maintenance work. However, in spite of this high demand, daily wage rates for farm labor have stayed on par with the five-year average (between 1,000 and 2,000 F CFA). The improved physical condition of livestock in the agropastoral zone (on the Dori, Djibo, and Gorom-Gorom markets) has improved the prices commanded by pastoralists for their animals, which are near the five-year average, particularly in the case of Sahelian male goats (selling for between 26,500 and 33,500 CFAF) and Sahelian male sheep (selling for between 53,000 and 63,000 CFAF).