Cameroon

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Latest food security analysis

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Key messages
Key Message Update May - September 2026 Poor harvest prospects will keep households in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) in conflict areas Download report
  • Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected to persist through September across Logone-et-Chari, Mayo-Sava, and Mayo-Tsanaga divisions in the Far North. Ongoing insecurity and recurrent Islamist violence continue to disrupt household participation in main season agricultural land preparation. Income from off-season crop sales and agricultural labor is expected to remain below average and, combined with rising lean season food prices, will further erode household purchasing capacity and limit access to staple foods. The number of households facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes is expected to increase during the June-August lean season, with a small proportion of households, particularly those with severely depleted coping capacity, likely to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Seasonal flooding beginning in July will likely exacerbate displacement through at least October, further isolating conflict-affected households from food and income sources. Given below-average harvest prospects, gains from the main season are likely to be limited, preventing meaningful improvements in food security outcomes.
  • In the Northwest and Southwest regions, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) is expected through June, with additional households deteriorating to Emergency (IPC Phase 4), followed by some improvements to Stressed (IPC Phase 2) through September.  The June green harvest of maize, beans, potatoes, legumes, and vegetables will provide relief from lean season pressures for cultivating households, but many will remain reliant on market purchases at above-average prices through June. Beginning in July, improved access to own production and crop income is expected to strengthen household food consumption and support a transition to Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes across most areas. Crisis (IPC Phase 3) will likely persist in more insecure and remote divisions — such as Ndian, Lebialem, Menchum, Momo, and Bui — where households will continue reducing essential non-food expenditures and diet quality and quantity due to market and production disruptions. A small proportion of the worst‑affected households — particularly those with little or no harvests and exhausted coping capacity — are expected to remain in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).
  • In Yaoundé and Douala, Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes are expected to persist through September, as above-average food prices continue to erode purchasing power, particularly among poor urban and displaced households with limited or disrupted livelihoods. Food prices are projected to remain significantly above the five-year average in urban markets due to reduced inflows from conflict-affected areas, strong urban demand, and elevated transport costs. Poor urban households are likely to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) as prices peak during May and June ahead of the harvest.
  • Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes are expected to persist in Mbere (Adamawa), Kadey, and Lom et Djerem divisions (East) through September. The large population of refugees from the Central African Republic continues to place pressure on food prices, employment opportunities, and natural resources, constraining income for both host and refugee households. Many households will struggle to meet essential non-food needs and will likely rely on negative coping strategies, including reducing non-food expenditures and reducing meal frequency and number. While the July-September harvest will improve household food availability and consumption, area-level outcomes are expected to remain Stressed (IPC Phase 2). Poor households — particularly refugees with limited livelihoods and exhausted coping capacities — are likely to remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).
  • Countrywide food assistance needs are projected to peak annually in May-June, coinciding with the end of the southern lean season and the onset of the northern lean season. In the south, needs are expected to ease with the July-September main harvest, though they will remain elevated due to the ongoing impacts of conflict. In the north, needs will continue to rise until the September harvest, driven by the combined effects of conflict and flooding on livelihoods. Across the country, however, the delivery of humanitarian food assistance is expected to remain critically constrained by severe funding gaps. In April, WFP warned that severe funding shortfalls could disrupt up to 90 percent of planned deliveries from May onward. Such disruptions will have serious consequences for critical lean-season food assistance for refugees and internally displaced persons in the northern zone.
  • Fuel, fertilizer, and food prices in Cameroon have remained relatively stable despite the Middle East conflict, owing to the country’s limited reliance on Gulf-region imports, substantial fuel subsidies, and the availability of older fertilizer stocks. According to FEWS NET price monitoring, the slight increases in fertilizer costs observed during this period have been driven mainly by rising shipping expenses, speculative trading behavior and seasonally higher demand at the start of the cropping season. Nonetheless, Cameroon remains vulnerable to global spillovers. Elevated international fuel prices, tightening supply conditions, and increasing shipping costs are expected to place upward pressure on import-dependent goods, amplifying inflation risks. In addition, smuggled fuel from Nigeria — used in areas bordering Nigeria, specifically the Far North, Northwest, and Southwest — has risen by 20-25 percent during this period, reflecting increased pump prices in Nigeria.
More analysis reports View all Cameroon food security analysis reports Monthly analysis
Food Security Outlook Update Cameroon April - September 2026
Key Message Update Cameroon March - September 2026
Food Security Outlook Cameroon February - September 2026
Alerts / special reports
Special Report Global June 23, 2025
Special Report Global May 1, 2025
Monthly analysis
Food Security Outlook Update Cameroon April - September 2026
Key Message Update Cameroon March - September 2026
Food Security Outlook Cameroon February - September 2026
Alerts / special reports
Special Report Global June 23, 2025
Special Report Global May 1, 2025
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FEWS NET–style food security map of East Africa showing crisis severity by color, with conflict icons and alerts across Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
Acute Food Insecurity Area-Level Classifications

FEWS NET produces IPC-compatible area-level acute food insecurity classifications monthly for FEWS NET reporting countries. This data is available as spatial files, tabular files, and map images. It is a key output of FEWS NET integrated food security analysis and is reported in our Food Security Outlooks and Outlook Updates (FSO/U) and Key Message Updates (KMU).

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Map of East Africa with large colored circles over Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and South Sudan indicating comparative regional metrics; capitals labeled.
Acutely Food Insecure Population Estimates

These estimates reflect the total population estimated to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse acute food insecurity outcomes, including those who are receiving humanitarian food assistance and those who are not. This tabular data is a key output of FEWS NET integrated food security analysis and is reported in our FSOs, global Food Assistance Outlook Briefs (FAOB), and semi-annual global Peak Food Assistance Needs Outlook Briefs.

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Monthly Global Price Watch reports

This report provides the latest outlook on global, regional, and national market trends of key commodity prices in FEWS NET reporting countries and also analyzes the various drivers influencing these trends.

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Price data

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Agroclimatology resources

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Weekly Global Weather Hazards reports

This report provides a global outlook on anticipated severe weather events, including maps with current weather information, short and medium range weather forecasts (up to one week), and the potential impact on crop and pasture conditions.

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Seasonal Monitor reports

This report provides regional updates on weather events, rainfall patterns, and associated impacts on ground conditions (e.g., cropping conditions, water availability) during a given geography’s rainy season, along with a short-term rainfall forecast.

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Agroclimatology data

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Livelihoods resources

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Cameroon 2021 Livelihood Zones Map English (.PNG)
Livelihood Zone maps

Zone Maps illustrate the country by zone, showing areas where people generally have the same options for obtaining food and income and engaging in trade.

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Livelihood Zone Descriptions

Zone Descriptions accompany a Zone Map, briefly describing the main characteristics of the livelihood patterns in that zone. The maps and descriptions are useful in informing the development of monitoring systems.

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Seasonal Calendar

These calendars illustrate the monthly availability of key food and income sources, plus the starts and ends to key rainy and lean seasons. They supplement livelihoods resources and are integral to FEWS NET’s food security analysis.

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Seasonal Calendar image showing harvest and rainy periods for Cameroon
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