Malawi Food Security Update, July 2012
Attachments
Key Messages
Based on the results of its post-harvest food security assessment, the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) has projected that in the April 2012 to March 2013 consumption period, 1.63 million people in 15 mainly southern districts will be unable to adequately access food in order to meet their basic food needs.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MoAFS) third round crop estimates confirms the 7 percent decrease in staple maize production as compared to last season. Despite this decrease, Malawi will still have a national maize production surplus of about 500,000 MT from the traditional surplus producing central and northern regions. Poor rainfall in southern Malawi resulted in significant crop yield reductions with parts of some districts experiencing total crop failure.
The Government of Malawi (GoM) through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) and United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) has developed a response plan that aims to provide humanitarian assistance to all those affected by food insecurity starting in August. However, as of mid-July, that plan was only partially funded. Other response options are still being developed.
Many households in the southern districts are unable to afford to purchase non-food essentials and maintain their livelihoods. Within this region poor households are currently facing significant food consumption gaps and will experience Crisis (IPC Phase 3) food insecurity conditions from July – September. FEWS NET projects that if humanitarian response is not implemented, the food insecurity situation in the southern districts will deepen to Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels during the remainder of the food consumption year.