Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Cereal production in 2024 forecast at above‑average level
- Annual inflation rate decreased in 2024, but remained at high level in September
- About 1.57 million people acutely food insecure during 2024 lean season
Cereal production in 2024 forecast at above‑average level
Harvesting operations of the 2024 coarse grain crops, including sorghum, millet and maize, concluded last November, while those of the 2024 rice crop are underway and will be completed by the end of the year. The onset of the rainy season, which normally extends from May to October, was delayed by up to one month, affecting planting operations and the germination of early‑planted crops in several cropping areas. Cumulative rainfall amounts between May and October 2024 were generally near average, but an erratic rainfall distribution affected crop establishment and development in several regions, where reduced yields are expected. Furthermore, heavy rains between August and November 2024 triggered flooding in several parts of the country, resulting in localized minor crop losses.
Despite suboptimal weather conditions in several areas, aggregate 2024 cereal production is forecast at 1.6 million tonnes, about 14 percent above the average of the previous five years. The favourable production prospects mainly reflect the impact of enhanced and timely governmental support under the Feed Salone Strategy, launched in October 2023, which includes the provision of seeds and fertilizers as well as access to mechanization services.
Annual inflation rate decreased in 2024, but remained at high level in September
According to Statistics Sierra Leone, the annual inflation rate was estimated at 20.2 percent in September 2024, down from 54.5 percent a year earlier, reflecting a decline in both food and non‑food inflation. After reaching 54.6 percent year-on-year in October 2023, the highest level in about 25 years, inflation decreased steadily since November 2023, supported by tight monetary policy, which helped stabilize the national currency, and the slowdown in global commodity prices.
About 1.57 million people acutely food insecure during 2024 lean season
According to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis, nearly 1.57 million people (20 percent of the analyzed population) were estimated to face acute food insecurity (CH Phase 3 [Crisis] and above) during the 2024 June to August lean season period, including about 31 000 people in CH Phase 4 (Emergency). This represents a substantial deterioration compared to the same period in 2023, when about 1.18 million people (16 percent of the analysed population) were estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. The increase in the total number of acutely food insecure people is mostly due to high food and non‑food inflation, coupled with low household purchasing power.
Concerns also exist for the food security situation of about 23 600 people affected by recent floods, whose livelihoods have been significantly disrupted.
New CH estimates of the number of people facing acute food insecurity in the last quarter of 2024 are expected to be released by the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) in December 2024.