A particularly difficult lean season for central and southern parts of the country
Key Messages
Poor households in the agropastoral, rainfed farming and Senegal River Valley zones are currently buying food directly or through food loans. Assistance is sometimes available in the form of distributions of free food rations. The food security situation is particularly difficult in northern Guidimakha, Gorgol, and Brakna, where poor households have begun facing food consumption gaps and are already experiencing Crisis levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3).
Pastoral conditions continue to deteriorate throughout the country, causing atypical migrations to seasonal grazing areas inside and outside the country. For several months, pastoralists in the western agropastoral zone and northern Guidimakha have resorted to purchasing animal feed, the price of which has risen steeply. They risk facing livelihood protection deficits and are experiencing Stressed food security outcomes (IPC Phase 2).
In other rural areas, with the exception of the western Senegal River Valley, where the successful growing season for hot off-season crops is prolonging the beneficial effects of the cold off-season, the lean season is similar to that of an average year.
