Joint monitoring and evaluation mission of the agro-pastoral campaign and the food and nutritional situation of households, July 2012

At the end of the second quarter of 2012, the food situation remained in general rather worrying in the majority of the regions of the country both for the populations and for the livestock in view of the evolution of the prices of cereal products and SPAI, the depletion of farmers’ stocks and fodder, the poor state of overweight livestock and the deterioration of the terms of trade for livestock / cereals in risk areas. As part of the support plan for vulnerable populations, current interventions have improved stocks at household level without leading to a drop or even stabilization of prices on the markets. Despite these various interventions, the food situation in the regions remains precarious in several municipalities. This situation has worsened by the influx of Malian refugees, particularly in the North region and the Sahel. The situation remained worrying and could deteriorate further if these support operations were terminated.
As part of production support actions, the State and its partners are still supporting producers through the purchase and distribution of improved seeds, livestock and SPAI.
The assumptions made for the next three months ie July, August and September indicate an even more difficult food situation for many households, forcing them to be content with only one daily meal. Product prices could continue to rise and would not be affordable for poor households. In many regions the diversity and importance of non-timber forest products contributed to the improvement of the food conditions of the population.
The availability of fodder and watering water is expected to improve significantly with the onset of the rainy season. The installation of the campaign could also lead to increased availability in the markets with the marketing of stocks held for speculative purposes.
In such a context, the evolution of the agricultural season remains a determining factor of the future behavior of market players and hence of the food situation of households in general and those in risk areas in particular.
In addition, excess to normal rainfall (80 to 130% of the average rainfall) is forecast over most of Burkina Faso, northern Togo, Ghana and Benin for the months of July-August-September combined. In view of these first rainfall forecasts for the 2012/2013 crop year and the floods that occurred during previous campaigns which caused countless damage, an information watch and adequate measures (advice for the various sectors concerned and capacity building emergency interventions) are essential to deal with any meteorological disasters that could occur.
The qualitative monitoring of the agro-pastoral campaign through the various information systems concerned is therefore decisive in detecting early, any anomalies that could compromise the smooth running of the campaign.
This joint mission to monitor the agro-pastoral campaign and the current food and nutritional situation falls within this framework. Its overall objective is to assess the state of the agricultural season, assess the current food and nutritional situation of households and identify prospects. It is jointly implemented by all the technical structures that are members of the national food crisis prevention, alert and management system: DGPER, DGM, DGRE, SP / CONASUR, SP / PAM, SP / CONACILSS, DGPSE, DGPV, SE / CNSA, SONAGESS, IGAE, DN, FAO, PAM, FEWS NET and ACF. It was carried out from July 15 to 21, 2012 by six multidisciplinary teams, spread over six axes covering the whole country.
This report, resulting from the analysis of the different structures of the system, emphasizes:
o The pluviometric and hydrological situation
o The condition of crops and cultivation operations
o The food and nutritional situation of households
o The food and health situation of livestock
o Perspectives and recommendations.