FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Maize production in 2013 is forecast at an above average level, similar to last year

• Maize prices continued to climb sharply in March 2013, reaching alarming levels

• Nearly 2 million people were estimated to be food insecure. However, conditions are expected to improve with the arrival of the 2013 harvest

This report covers the period 01/01/12 to 31/12/12

Overview

• The purchasing power of Malawians has deteriorated sharply as a result of economic measures taken in 2012. Following the devaluation of the local currency (Kwacha), the average monthly inflation rate has soared to 38% in February 2013. The price of maize, the main staple food, is more than double its price two years ago. Other important food commodities such as rice and beans have also experienced substantial price increases.

• Despite efforts to curb down soaring living costs, social unrests have recently heightened, raising concerns about socio-political stability.

Joining a village savings and loans group called "Buyu" has made Malawian women achieve things they had never even dreamed of. Their lives have improved significantly and they are now positive about the future for themselves and their families.

Since she was a little girl Elizabeth Lughali, 32, dreamed of sleeping in a real bed with a mattress. Today her dream has come true; she has managed to save enough money to buy a bed, a mattress and some nice linen through a DanChurchAid supported village savings and loans project.

As high maize prices persist, late season dry spells are likely to reduce crop yields in some districts

KEY MESSAGES

• Second round crop estimates released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MoAFS) have projected gross maize production at about 3.68 million MTs. While this estimate is slightly higher (1.5 percent) than 2011/12 production levels, FEWS NET expects that the third round crop estimates will better capture the impact of the extended dry spells on crop yields in the central and northern region, and maize production estimates will likely decrease.

In Malawi, undernutrition is a serious problem and a major contributor to the country’s other poor health statistics, including rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality, and stunting and anemia in children.

One of the barriers to good nutrition starts before any crops can be grown or harvested.

High-quality seeds that farmers can use to grow enough healthy, nutritious crops are in short supply year after year, leaving farm associations, unions and extension agents without the inputs they need to help ensure a good harvest.

By an IPS Correspondent

BLANTYRE, Malawi, Apr 23 2013 (IPS) - In Malawi, where the healthcare system frequently makes headlines for its shortages of drugs and medical workers, a fact that is often overlooked is that two out of four central hospitals do not have a specialist physician in attendance.

The sector-wide approach currently dominates as the strategy for developing the agricultural sector of many African countries. Although it is recognized that agricultural research plays a vital role in ensuring success of sectorwide agricultural development strategies, there has been little or no effort to explicitly link the research strategies of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in African countries to the research agenda that is articulated in sectorwide agricultural development strategies.

End of lean season ushers in minimal food insecurity outcomes throughout the region

KEY MESSAGES

• Food insecurity outcomes are Minimal (IPC Phase 1) over most parts of the region and are expected to remain so through June. Targeted humanitarian assistance is meeting household needs in food insecure areas of Zimbabwe, southern Malawi, southern Mozambique, and Lesotho.