Severe armyworm infestations likely to impact 2012/13 production
KEY MESSAGES
As the peak of the lean season continues, many poor households will continue to face Stressed (IPC Phase 2!) acute food insecurity outcomes in March, in the presence of humanitarian assistance.
The 2012/13 agriculture season is characterized by a number of challenges that are likely to have a negatively impact on crop yields and production, especially cereals. These include a late start of the season, early frost in the mountains, a mid-season dry spell and severe armyworm infestations that have affected 25 percent of the estimated cropped area.
Minimal (IPC Phase 1!) acute food insecurity outcomes are projected during the April to June period because many households are expected to harvest enough food to take them through the first three months of the 2013/14 consumption period, and some poor households facing food and livelihood protection gaps will be receiving humanitarian assistance during this period.