Minimal acute insecurity will continue through September

• With the good progress of the cropping season in June, land preparation, planting, and weeding are continuing normally and providing average income for poor, market-dependent household who are currently meeting their basic food and non-food needs through market purchase.
• The upcoming harvest of sweet potato, maize and millet, combined with the ongoing harvest of lowland cassava will maintain household access to staple foods and attenuate the effects of the lean season. Consequently, Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity will be expected through at least September.

The cumulative rainfall anomaly estimate (RFE) shows moderate to large excesses in cumulative rainfall across the country from April 1 to May 30, 2014 (Figure 1). This situation is supporting on-time and early planting of tobacco, pepper, sweet potato, and maize, as well as favorable crop development.

According to the regional forum on climate forecasts in West Africa, near to below-average seasonal rainfall is expected from June to September 2014 in the country. Given the large amounts of rainfall received by the country, FEWS NET assumes that this will be sufficient to support plant growth.

Despite the normal onset of the lean season, food security conditions remain favorable throughout the country mostly due to the minor harvest, cassava harvest and cash cropping that are providing households with normal incomes allowing them to maintain their access to staple food. Other income-generating activities, such as sale of forest products, local labor, mining activities, fishing, petty trade, and sale of charcoal are providing poor households with seasonal income-earning opportunities that are allowing them to meet their typical food and non-food expenses.

Moreover, even during the peak of the lean season in May-July, households will likely be able to meet their basic food needs despite seasonal depletion of their stocks due to harvest of lowland cassava, cash cropping and the consumption of newly-harvested maize, sweet potato, and vegetables.

Good food availability from local products and regular imports of rice from international market is meeting market demand and keeping prices stable. As a result, prices are expected to follow their normal seasonal trends throughout the lean season (June-August). This will help maintain good access to staple foods for poor households.

The newly harvested local products such as cassava, maize, millet, sorghum and sweet potato, normal sources of food and income and stable prices will continue to allow access to minimum food needs for most households across the country throughout the lean season. Typical livelihood strategies are likely to remain in place and acute food insecurity will remain Minimal (IPC Phase 1) through at least September.