Mozambique: Data in Emergencies Monitoring (DIEM) Brief, Round 7 - Results and recommendations, November 2024

Key highlights

• The seventh round of Data in Emergencies Monitoring (DIEM-Monitoring) was conducted during the onset of the lean season across nine provinces of Mozambique from 26 September to 10 November 2024.

• Income security has decreased, due to the poor performance of the agriculture sector, coupled with the impact of conflict in Cabo Delgado, limiting the ability of affected households to maximize the productive potential of land and income-generating opportunities.

• In both the current round and the sixth round, drought was the main shock reported. The persistence of dry conditions negatively impacted availability of pasture and water, affecting the entire 2023/24 cropping season and posing challenges to livestock breeders, with nearly 60 percent reporting a decrease in the number of livestock heads.

• The presence of El Niño conditions was associated with a reduction in area cultivated and yield. Crop sales prices remained particularly high in a context of poor production, driven by El Niño-induced drought in the southern region.

• Unlike retail markets, where crop prices exhibited an upward trend in the context of poor production, the price received at farm gate was often relatively low. This discrepancy was due to agricultural households’ limited bargaining power and urgent need for money to cover basic needs.

• Livestock diseases have continued to be the main challenge to livestock production over two years, from the fourth round to the current round. During the seventh round, widespread livestock diseases were reported by more than 40 percent of livestock producers in each of the assessed provinces.

• Poor performance of crop production was observed mainly in the central and southern regions of the country. The presence of conflict in the northern region and a reduction in income were determinants associated with the adoption of crisis and emergency coping strategies.

• Natural disasters continued to affect the country. After the conclusion of data collection for this round, two tropical cyclones, Chido and Dikeledi, made landfall in the northern region, mostly affecting Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces. These provinces already had the highest number of households (40 percent) resorting to crisis coping strategies.