Livelihoods continue to be disrupted despite ongoing harvest

Thanks to the ongoing harvest, the majority of households are able to meet their food consumption needs. But in agro-pastoral (MR07) and rain-fed cultivation (MR09) areas, food insecurity remains Stressed (IPC Phase 2) after a prolonged and difficult lean season, aggravated by the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on remittances from migration and income in the informal sector in urban centers. Added to this are the floods recorded in August and September in the southern agro-pastoral areas (Guidimakha, Gorgol, Tagant, Hodh Ech Chargi) and an outbreak Rift Valley Fever, which has affected 11 regions with 138 cases confirmed in livestock and 75 cases of people infected including 25 dead, mainly in the willaya of Tagant.

Agricultural production and pastoral resources are generally above average after an overall satisfactory rainfall. Similarly, dams and rivers have been replenished, which offers good prospects for off-season crop production. Transhumance movements will typically take place between November and July, but the continued closure of borders with Mali and Senegal and measures to contain the spread of Rift Valley Fever, such as restriction of movement of herds from exposed areas, could limit the usual departures to these countries and create pressure on resources in the southern willayas between April and June 2021.

The supply of basic foodstuffs is average on the markets with the exception of imported fruits and vegetables, which are negatively affected by disturbances at the border with Morocco. The prices of cereals, milk and sugar are stable, apart from slight increases in the landlocked areas of the wilayas of Hodh El Gharbi and Assaba linked to the increase in the cost of transport following the deterioration of roads after heavy rains. In addition, the improvement in the body conditions of animals allows breeders to have stable or slightly above average selling prices.