GIEWS Country Briefs

Reference Date: 20-December-2012

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT Favourable rains recorded at the start of the 2012/13 cropping season in the large cereal producing regions Agricultural output declines sharply in 2012, following a prolonged dry spell Poor food security conditions persist in the affected areas

Favourable rains received at the start of the 2012/13 cropping season

Generally good rains have been received during the first two months of the 2012/13 cropping season (October-June) in the large cereal producing central provinces. In far northern and eastern parts however, precipitation levels have not been as abundant, resulting in slight water deficits. Between January and March 2013, weather forecasts point to normal to above normal rains over most of the country, but drier conditions are more likely in northern and south-eastern coastal areas.

Sharp drop in 2012 cereal production following dry spell

Erratic and below normal rains were recorded across much of the country during the 2011/12 cropping season, resulting in a sharp reduction, almost 400 000 tonnes, in agricultural production compared to 2011 output. Accordingly, the 2012 cereal production is estimated at about 876 000 tonnes, over one third lower than 2011 and approximately 15 percent below the short-term average.

Food security conditions deteriorate in parts

A joint Government/UN assessment, conducted earlier in 2012, found that an estimated 367 000 households, approximately 1.8 million people, were affected by poor harvests earlier in 2012. Furthermore, an estimated 533 000 children suffer from varying levels of malnutrition. In response, the Government initiated an emergency programme, amounting to USD 43 million, to provide food and water, as well as agricultural inputs to the affected families, while the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated just over USD 5 million to FAO, WHO and UNICEF. FAO is providing seeds and agricultural inputs to 165 000 affected households, to improve their productive capacity for the current cropping season.