Humanitarian food assistance remains essential in Titao, Djibo, and Diapaga due to market shortages in the preharvest period

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Armed terrorist groups continue to exert pressure on certain localities in the Nord, Sahel, Centre-Nord, and Est regions, resulting in irregular market supply via armed escorts. Except for rice, staple grains are unavailable in the markets of Titao, Djibo, and Diapaga. Food assistance during the lean season started late but continues, covering at least 75 percent of the majority of households’ food needs in the communes of Titao and Sollé (Loroum province), Djibo and Arbinda (Soum province), Gorom-Gorom (Oudalan province), and Diapaga (Tapoa province). This assistance is preventing worse food security outcomes for poor households, which remain in Crisis! (IPC Phase 3!). In these areas, households with marginal incomes also have access to green maize harvests and leafy vegetables produced around the compounds and in accessible areas.
Since mid-August, rainfall has been regular, generally promoting good crop conditions with most crops at the flowering stage. However, compared to normal conditions, there are delays in vegetative stages in the Sud-Ouest region and locally in the Centre-Ouest, Boucle du Mouhoun, and Nord regions. A normal to late end to the season, as indicated by seasonal forecasts, would favor agricultural production that is overall above that of last season and the five-year average, considering the increase in cultivated areas in relatively calm zones and the strengthening of fertilizer support to producers to improve their yields. Nevertheless, in the Sud-Ouest region, which is more affected by dry spells, and in regions more impacted by insecurity (Sahel, Est, and Centre-Nord), production is expected to be below average compared to the last five seasons.
While awaiting the new harvests, cereal availability (maize, millet, and sorghum) remains low and below the seasonal average. New maize harvests from coastal countries, which typically help bolster supply, are scarce in the markets, and export restrictions imposed by Ghana may limit incoming flows in the coming months. Demand remains high, especially in areas with a strong presence of IDPs and in urban centers. As a result, the prices of staple goods in August remained generally above their levels from the previous year (26 percent for millet, 18 percent for sorghum, and 17 percent for maize) and also above their five-year averages (57 percent for millet, 50 percent for sorghum, and 40 percent for maize).

Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Burkina Faso Key Message Update September 2024: Humanitarian food assistance remains essential in Titao, Djibo, and Diapaga due to market shortages in the preharvest period, 2024.

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.