Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Erratic rainfall distribution affecting first season crops
- Abundant precipitation at start of 2025 cropping season in Karamoja Region
- Prices of maize at high levels in March 2025 due to sustained export demand
- Difficult food security situation in refugee hosting districts
Erratic rainfall distribution affecting first season crops
In bimodal rainfall areas covering most of the country, first season crops were planted last February and March and will be harvested in June and July. The first rainy season, normally extending from March to June, has been characterized by an erratic spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation. Seasonal rains established in mid-March with a two-week delay, disrupting planting operations and affecting the germination of early-planted crops. Abundant rainfall amounts during the second half of March offset moisture deficits and improved vegetation conditions. Subsequently, dry weather conditions in April affected cereal crops during the critical flowering stage, causing crop wilting over central regions, where replanting was needed in several areas. While replanted short-cycle crops, including green grams and cowpeas, are likely to complete their growing cycle, long-cycle cereal crops are unlikely to reach maturity, as rains normally subside in June.
According to the latest weather forecast by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGADs) Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC), above-average rainfall amounts are expected during the remainder of the cropping season, likely benefiting yields and lifting crop prospects.
Abundant precipitation at start of 2025 cropping season in Karamoja Region
In the unimodal rainfall agropastoral Karamoja Region, planting of cereal crops, for harvest from August, is currently underway and will conclude in mid-May. The onset of the AprilSeptember rainy season had a slight delay, with dry conditions prevailing in the first dekad of May, followed in the second dekad of the month by abundant rainfall amounts, about twice the long-term average, Rainfall amounts received in the third dekad of the month were again minimal, but vegetation conditions as of late April were well above average due to rainfall surpluses accumulated in mid-April. Weather forecasts point to above-average rainfall amounts between May and July, which will likely boost crop yields and regenerate rangeland resources, but will also heighten the risk of flooding, especially in low-lying areas.
Prices of maize at high levels in March 2025 due to sustained export demand
The national average price of maize seasonally increased by 7 percent between January and March 2025, when it was 26 percent higher than one year earlier, due to sustained export demand.
Similarly, the national average price of beans, an important staple in the local diet, increased by 6 percent over the same period and, in March, it was 5 percent higher year-on-year.
Difficult food security situation in refugee hosting districts
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, conducted in December 2024 in refugee-hosting districts, about 953 000 people (21 percent of the analyzed population) are estimated to face severe acute food insecurity between February and June 2025.
The serious food insecurity situation reflects a reduced food availability due to the adverse impact of weather shocks and disease outbreaks on crop and livestock production, and a constrained access to food due to ensuing high prices.
As of end‑April 2025, the country hosted about 1.89 million refugees and asylum seekers, including about 1 million people from South Sudan and about 616 000 people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Most refugees and asylum seekers lack adequate access to livelihood opportunities and rely entirely on humanitarian assistance.
In addition, the food security situation among refugees and host communities is affected by reduced humanitarian assistance due to funding shortfalls.
Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/ .
FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https://fpma.fao.org/ .
FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/ .
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https://www.ipcinfo.org/