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The lean season is accentuating the negative impacts of COVID-19 on household food security

  • Key Message Update
  • Chad
  • July 2020
The lean season is accentuating the negative impacts of COVID-19 on household food security

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  • Key Messages
  • Key Messages
    • With more than 922 cases including 75 deaths, 810 recovered and 37 active cases, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to slow down the national economy due to government restrictions. The loss and scarcity of employment opportunities due to COVID-19 is causing the erosion of the purchasing power of very poor and poor households. These consequences combined with the lean season have depleted capital in both rural and urban areas and negatively impacted household food security.

    • Although market functioning is acceptable, some markets in the Western Sahel region (Bahr el Ghazel, and Kanem), in Sila and Lake provinces, are experiencing slowdowns due to low supply caused by civil insecurity. In the Sudanian zone, some markets are poorly supplied due to the poor state of the road network, particularly during the winter months. Many households continue to face a generalized increase in the price of staple foods. As a result, millet prices in the western and eastern Sahel markets are more than 15 to 25 percent higher than the five-year average (Bol, +17 percent and Moussoro, +27 percent) and Goz Beida (+21 percent).

    • The agricultural season is progressing normally as rains move northward. According to the National Agency for Meteorological Applications (ANAM), the season began well in the 2nd dekad of June in most of the provinces located below the 14th degree north latitude, which allowed for normal area to be planted. In the agricultural areas of the country the agricultural season is marked by two types of activities depending on the area. In the Sudanian zone, the rainfall has been good, but less than in 2019 at the same period. Crops are at the tiller stage. In the Sahelian zone where dry spells have been reported, crops from dry sowing are in leaf emergence to tiller stage.

    • The pastoral situation remains characterized by the scarcity of pastoral resources, though the reconstitution of the pastureland normally follows the rainfall front as it moves northward from the agropastoral areas. In the transhumance zone, the low rainfall recorded, coupled with dry spells did not allow the semi-permanent water pools to reach their normal level. The northward movement of transhumant herders has slowed as a result. Livestock body conditions are beginning to improve; however, livestock prices remain below average.

    • The provinces of Tibesti, Kanem, and Bahr el Ghazel remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) until October and will then decline in Stressed (IPC Phase 2) between October 2020 and January 2021. Lac Province remains in Stressed (IPC Phase 2!) until January 2021 with planned food assistance. Most of the north of the country remains in Stressed (IPC Phase 2) until January 2021, while areas in the south and south-east remain in Minimal (IPC Phase 1) until January 2021.

    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.

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