Kenya: Kenya Food Security Outlook Update, December 2012

Poor performance of the short rains in parts of the Southeast is likely to intensify food insecurity

Key Messages

• The poor amount and uneven distribution of the October to December short rains may cause increased food insecurity in the marginal mixed farming livelihood zones in Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, and Taita Taveta Districts. Crops have already started wilting due to a prolonged dry spell.
• Although early maturing vegetables are currently supporting food consumption and above average livestock prices allow continued market access for some households, the limited availability of casual labor opportunities and persistently above average maize prices are limiting household food access in the marginal mixed farming areas.
• Despite the poor temporal and spatial distribution of the short rains in the pastoral areas, livestock productivity improved. This has led to continued above average livestock prices and increased milk availability and consumption. As a result, the proportion of children ‘at risk’ of malnutrition is below average.