Flooding disrupts livelihoods in agricultural and agropastoral areas

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The influx of Sudanese refugees and Chadian returnees into the eastern provinces of Chad is leading to continued pressure on resources and competition with host households for scarce labor opportunities. Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes persist, and the dependence of refugees and returnees on food assistance limits their food consumption deficits, resulting in Crise! (IPC Phase 3 !). Although food assistance is their primary food source, the continued low mobilization of financial resources for humanitarian organizations results in irregular distributions of food assistance to refugees. In the Western Sahel (BEG, Kanem), atypical upward trends in food prices continue to limit access to food, causing food consumption deficits for very poor and poor households. In the Lac region, heavy flooding since the end of July has further affected livelihoods and exacerbated food insecurity for thousands of displaced and host households. In the Saharan zone, disruptions to cross-border flows continue to drive up the price of foodstuffs imported from Libya. Very poor households in the Sahel-Saharan provinces (Sahel West, Saharan zone) continue to face consumption deficits and remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).
Since mid-July, heavy rainfall has been recorded in most of the country's agricultural and agropastoral provinces. The floods have affected more than 300,000 people in many parts of the country (OCHA), including those severely affected in the southern provinces (Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental), the south-east (Salamat, Dar Sila), and the Lac province, according to humanitarian actors. In addition, crop damage and losses of 157,000 hectares (FAO) indicate significant livelihood losses that could affect agricultural production, while the loss of almost 7,000 livestock could result in a substantial loss of income for affected herders. Crop losses caused by the ongoing flooding point to relative drops in agricultural production in agricultural and agropastoral areas. This will affect food consumption due to the low availability of agricultural products from the production of very poor and poor households. FEWS NET continues to closely monitor the evolution and impact of the floods on the income and food sources of poor households.
Persistent conflict in Sudan continues to result in regular influxes of refugees and returnees to Chad. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Chad hosts over 632,179 Sudanese refugees, 89% of whom are women and children. According to the current count, 14% of these refugees are people with special needs (UNCHR). In addition, 201,379 Chadian returnees, 93% of whom are women and children, are registered in the country's eastern provinces. These displaced populations, forced to flee hostilities in Sudan, have lost their livelihoods and are increasing pressure on the livelihoods of host households, especially given the limited funding available to humanitarian organizations. Competition for opportunities, agricultural and non-agricultural labor, as well as for natural resources, firewood, and foraged foodstuffs, is steadily intensifying. This reinforces the deterioration of livelihoods and food insecurity in host communities.
Seasonal decrease in market supply is exacerbated by low production in the previous season, additional demand generated by refugees and returnees, and host households on markets in host areas. In addition, high transport costs accentuate the low availability of cereals in most of the country's markets. At the same time, the security situation on the borders between Libya and Chad restricts the cross-border flows that typically supply markets in the Sahelian zone. Atypical rises in the price of basic foodstuffs compared with the five-year average were reported, as illustrated by the 70 percent increase in the price of millet in Abéché, 76 percent in Biltine, and even 78 percent in Goz Beida. On the other hand, despite the upward trend in livestock markets following the good embonpoint, the terms of trade remain unfavorable to pastoralists, mainly due to high price levels on cereal markets. In addition, the depreciation of the naira continues to impact livestock export prices to Nigeria, contrary to the usual seasonal upward trends expected in a typical year.

Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Chad Key Message Update August 2024: Flooding disrupts livelihoods in agricultural and agropastoral areas, 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.