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Mauritania

Mauritania Food Security Update, November 2009

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The production forecasts released by the joint harvest assessment mission for the 2009?2010 growing season conducted by FEWS NET, the CILSS, the FAO, the WFP, and the Government of Mauritania were near?average, but 23 percent below figures for the 2008/09 season. This projected shortfall is primarily attributable to the expected sharp decline in rice production due to the unexpected lack of credit owing to collection problems.

Despite localized pasture deficits (in western and northern transhumant pastoral areas), in general, conditions in livestock?raising areas are still very good.

Even with a sharp rise in prices for staple food crops, terms of trade for grain/livestock are still in favor of pastoralist households, with livestock prices soaring in the face of the upcoming feast of Tabaski and the year?end holiday season.

Food insecurity levels are falling in all rainfed farming and agropastoral areas. In contrast, there are still high levels of food insecurity in urban slum areas due to massive rural?urban migration and the shutdown of the special Ramadan shops selling goods at subsidized prices.