Attachments
Executive Summary
Narok county is in “None or Minimal” food security phase classification (IPC Phase 1) but stressed in parts of the pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihood zones where 20 percent of the population is facing food insecurity due to forage and water scarcity as well as in and outmigration.
The proportion of households with acceptable food consumption score was 73 percent indicating improved household dietary diversity and food frequency. The mean coping strategy score increased slightly in the current season, implying that households are engaging in consumption-related coping strategies frequently and employing less severe coping strategies.
The nutritional status was stable and the proportion of households at risk of malnutrition was 7.57 percent which was below the five-year mean of 8.9 percent. Morbidity prevalence for under-fives declined by 4.6 percent in December 2016 compared with same time 2015; indicating improved nutrition status as attributed to access to food and health care. Water consumption per person per day is within the sphere standards (above 15litres/person/day) except in the pastoral livelihood zone which recorded 10 litres/ person/day hence low utilization of food commodities.
Crop production in the mixed farming and agro-pastoral areas decreased by 50 percent, although the reduction did not limit household food since they were relying on own stocks which were estimated to last for three months. However, milk production declined by 50 to 100 percent due early migration thus affecting household milk production and consumption in the pastoral and agro-pastoral zones. Households were holding 119 percent of maize stocks compared with normal.
The terms of trade are unfavourable where the sale of one goat is exchanging for 62kg of maize thus limiting household food access in the pastoral areas. Maize prices are stable following 60 percent of own production and previous seasons stocks while livestock body condition which was good fetched fair market prices, despite the January over supply of livestock in the markets. The current factors affecting food security include: late onset and low amounts of rainfall which negatively affected water and forage situation thus triggering early livestock migration that constrained household milk production consumption.