Lean Season Response: Sector Update (June 2024)

OVERVIEW

This year the lean season between May and September is the most severe for more than seven years. An early onset of malnutrition at rates 40 percent higher than last year. This has meant that some key pipelines meant to aid the nutrition response are in the process of being exhausted before the height of the lean season. Likewise, the number of people in need of food assistance has increased by half a million people in the last year to 4.8 million people. Food inflation is the highest in 28 years, the price of some staple foods has doubled. The lack of livelihoods opportunities for displaced people and host communities increases their vulnerability. Insecurity means that opportunities are very limited in some of the areas with the highest levels of displacement. To address this, the United Nations and partners launched a $306 million multi-sector plan to provide urgent food assistance, nutrition supplies and services, clean water, healthcare, and protection support to 2.8 million people in the BAY states. Implementation of the plan, which aims to address acute food insecurity during the peak of the lean season, is ongoing. In this precarious situation funding is dwindling, both in terms of the overall Humanitarian Response Plan as well as the Lean Season Multi-Sector Plan.

The lack of funding means that some critical nutrition pipelines will be compromised in July, it means that 2.9 million people in food assistance will be without they need. Likewise, more than 3 million people will be without agricultural support to address resilience and livelihoods to provide smarter assistance. Critically other interventions, as part of the multi-sector approach, such as food interventions, water and sanitation and health interventions that can prevent children from becoming severely acutely malnourished are woefully underfunded. The Lean Season Plan is the priorities within the priorities – the highest priorities - of the Humanitarian Response Plan. Humanitarian partners have the capacity and access to provide life-saving assistance through this Plan, what is urgently needed is the resources to enable this action.