Food security will improve during harvest and post-harvest period
KEY MESSAGES
As of October 2012, an estimated 3.2 to 3.5 million people in Sudan face Stressed and Crisis (IPC Phase 2 and 3) levels of acute food insecurity, a 30–35 percent reduction compared to 4.6 million people in July 2012. Food security is generally improving due to expectations for an above-average harvest at the national level, projected to be double last year’s poor harvest and 15 percent above the five-year average. However, harvests in some areas have been impacted by conflict, flooding, pest infestations, and labor shortages.
Conflict, insecurity, and displacement in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states remain major challenges to food security. In SPLM-N-controlled areas, the impacts of prolonged displacement, asset depletion, and restricted access to humanitarian assistance and markets are compounding, though some slight to modest improvements in food security are expected. Most households were able to engage in jubraka (backyard garden) cultivation, which will provide food supplies for a few months. Furthermore, improved availability of own production and wild foods will provide an opportunity for households to build up food stocks and for the host community to support IDPs during the lean season.
Food security in SPLM-N-controlled areas of South Kordofan will improve to Stressed and Crisis levels due to slight improvements in access to agricultural labor, decreased prices, support from the better-off, limited own production, increased income from cash crop sales, and improved availability of wild food. Most residents will face Stressed levels, due to better access to cultivation and income opportunities, while most IDPs will face Crisis levels. In conflict-affected areas of Blue Nile state, food security will improve to Stressed levels due to less conflict during the cultivation season.
Although a considerable number of IDPs in Darfur have cultivated small to medium-scale farms this year, IDPs in conflict-affected areas (East Jebel Mara and parts of North Darfur), where access by humanitarian agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance is severely constrained, will face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of food insecurity through March.