Attachments
Key highlights
-
Sixty percent of the surveyed households reported having been affected by one or more shocks in the three months preceding the survey negatively impacting their main source of income. This decline was reported by 54 percent of producers (farmers and livestock breeders).
-
Sickness or death of a household member, plant diseases and rising food prices were among the difficulties reported by 91 percent of agricultural households. Fifty-eight percent of households experienced difficulties marketing their crops due to lower selling prices, higher transport costs and reduced demand.
-
Eighty-seven percent of the surveyed farmers experienced production difficulties in the three months preceding the survey, including disease, death or theft of animals, or access to inputs, veterinary services and livestock feed.
Seventy-one percent of farmers reported a decrease in their herd. -
According to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), 88 percent of households were moderately or severely food insecure, and 24 percent were severely food insecure. Nearly half of all households had an insufficiently diversified food intake.
-
Of the 2 862 agricultural households surveyed, 99 percent expressed a need for assistance in the three to six months following the survey, particularly in the form of better access to agricultural inputs, cash, and infrastructure dedicated to crop production and food.
Methodology
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a household survey in the Central African Republic through the Data in Emergencies Monitoring (DIEM-Monitoring) System to monitor agricultural livelihoods and food security between 17 February and 18 March 2024.
The data were collected in partnership with the Central African Institute for Statistics and Economic and Social Studies (ICASEES) through face-to-face surveys of 3 293 households – 2 862 of whom were agricultural households – in 22 subprefectures of the following nine prefectures: Bangui, Haut-Mbomou, Haute-Kotto, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Gribizi, Ombella M'Poko, Ouham-Pendé and Vakaga.
Disproportionate stratification was used for sampling, and a minimum sample of 175 households per subprefecture (administrative level 2) was identified. However, only nine of the 22 subprefectures initially targeted were 100 percent covered (Appendix 1) due to the deterioration in security conditions during the survey and the state of the communication routes which delayed data collection beyond the 31 days initially planned. This limited coverage (81 percent) must be considered when interpreting and using the results outlined in this brief, particularly Bangassou, Bimbo, Bossemptélé, Gambo, Mbaïki, Ouadda, Ouango and Rafaï subprefectures.
Data collection took place during the dry season. The results of this fifth-round data collection have been compared to those of the fourth (March 2023, dry season) and third rounds (October 2022, lean season) throughout this brief