Green harvest availability eases the lean season in agricultural areas

Progress for the agricultural season is generally average across much of the country. Average cereal production is expected as a result of good rainfall levels and a decline in crop pests. However, below-average production is expected in the central and northern parts of the country affected by increased insecurity, flooding, and low fertilizer use.

Continued insecurity in the northern and central areas has resulted in  declining  agricultural and non-agricultural labor opportunities and population displacement. As a result of decreased opportunities and displacement, households cannot  to meet their food and non-food needs, leading many to rely on atypical coping strategies, including borrowing and reliance on humanitarian assistance.

In agricultural areas, the availability of  green harvests for maize, legumes, milk, and dairy  products has improved household access to food. Nonetheless, food prices continue to limit poor households’ purchasing power. Current food prices are more than 60 percent higher than the five-year average.

Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected in Liptako Gourma and northern areas, while Stress (IPC Phase 2) conditions are expected in the western Sahel. With the start of the harvest period and humanitarian assistance in the form of food and cash, food security in these areas is expected to improve. From October onward, poor households in the three-border area will face Stressed (IPC Phase 2) or worse food insecurity due to the persistence of insecurity in the area, while those in the western Sahel will face Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity.