Farmers across the country are stepping up the pace of harvests of rainfed crops. Conditions for the 2009/10 growing season were mixed. However, trends to date suggest that production could outstrip the five?year average. This good food availability should help improve the household food security situation.
There are adequate pasture resources and animal watering holes in southern farming and agropastoral areas. However, the condition of pasturelands in livestock?raising areas in the northeastern reaches of the country is below?average. A look at the condition of vegetation (NDVI) as of October 31st of this year confirms the sparse pasture resources in the northeast, particularly in the Ménaka district of Gao. Terms of trade for goats/millet in these areas showed an improvement between September and October in the face of rising prices for livestock, except in Timbuktu and Ségou. However, current price levels, which are still below the five?year average, point to higher than usual levels of food insecurity.