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Cameroon

Presence country
Cameroon
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Food Security Outlook
February - September 2024
Conflict and rising food, fuel prices to drive peak assistance needs in lean season
  • In February 2024, the government further reduced fuel subsidies, which led to increases in petrol and diesel prices by an average of 15 percent, compounding the previous 16-25 percent increase that occurred in February 2023. The recent fuel price hike is expected to push up the prices of food and essential non-food commodities even further. Poor urban and internally displaced households spend a significant portion of their income on food and are expected to be the most impacted by additional price increases. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), annual inflation in Cameroon increased to 7.7 percent in December 2023, after five consecutive months of increases, significantly exceeding the 3 percent target set by the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). However, INS data suggests that food inflation decreased from 12.9 percent in 2022 to around 11.6 percent by November 2023. Prices of most staple foods remain higher than last year’s and the five-year average, though this can also be attributed to conflict-induced crop production declines, insecurity, high transportation costs, and global price dynamics.
  • The impact of conflict and insecurity, exacerbated by high food prices, is expected to drive widespread Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes during the lean season in most of the Northwest and Southwest regions and some parts of the Far North region. Staple food prices are currently trending at historically high levels in these areas. They are projected to continue rising while households must already rely on food purchases, given the premature depletion of household stocks. As a result, households will continue struggling to meet their minimum food needs with limited income-earning opportunities and eroded coping capacities after years of conflict and insecurity, unable to mitigate their widening food consumption gaps. Food assistance needs are anticipated to peak annually around May/June. 
  • Conflict levels are projected to remain high in the Northwest and Southwest regions and continue to disrupt households' access to food and income sources, maintaining Crisis (IPC Phase 3) area-level outcomes until at least July. During peak labor season from March to May, earnings are anticipated to be below average due to reductions in total area cultivated. With high food prices, households will likely resort to selling their remaining assets for cash, buying food on credit, or begging. Some poor households in remote zones in Lebialem, Menchum, and Momo who have already exhausted their coping capacity will face widening food consumption gaps, with a small proportion assessed to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes during the lean season. Humanitarian assistance will likely remain insufficient due to funding shortfalls and humanitarian access challenges. From July through September, household food availability is expected to improve, supported by the dry harvesting season. Still, outcomes will remain Stressed (IPC Phase 2) due to limited harvests, likely to only support minimally adequate food consumption.
  • The number of households in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) in the Logone-et-Chari, Mayo-Sava, and Mayo-Tsanaga divisions is expected to increase with the lean season between June and August. ACLED data shows that the number of conflict events and fatalities caused by ISWAP in these areas have increased markedly since April of 2023. In January, over 1,000 people were displaced from the Mokolo and Mora districts in the Mayo-Tsanaga and Mayo-Sava divisions (IOM). Many have likely been displaced multiple times due to insecurity and have few means to cope with additional shocks. While some poor households in the area will obtain a limited supply of own-produced food supplies and income from crop sales and wage labor during the off-season harvests in March and April, many are expected to be unable to meet their minimum food needs throughout the projected period. As the lean season progresses, households will likely increase their consumption of wild foods and intensify the selling of firewood, charcoal, and handicrafts in an attempt to mitigate their widening food consumption gaps. 
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Latest Analysis Latest Analysis
View All Cameroon Analysis
Food Security
Key Message Update In conflict zones, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes to become more widespread starting in February Cameroon January 2024
Food Security Outlook Update In conflict zones, harvest shortfalls to trigger an early start of the lean season Cameroon December 2023
Key Message Update Persistent violence in the Far North region maintaining Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes during the harvest Cameroon November 2023
Agroclimatology
No reports available.
Markets & Trade
Price Bulletin Cameroon Price Bulletin Cameroon February 2024
Bulletin des prix Cameroun Bulletin des Prix Cameroun February 2024
Price Bulletin Cameroon Price Bulletin Cameroon January 2024
Alerts / Special Reports
No reports available.
Food Security
Key Message Update In conflict zones, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes to become more widespread starting in February Cameroon January 2024
Food Security Outlook Update In conflict zones, harvest shortfalls to trigger an early start of the lean season Cameroon December 2023
Key Message Update Persistent violence in the Far North region maintaining Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes during the harvest Cameroon November 2023
Agroclimatology
No reports available.
Markets & Trade
Price Bulletin Cameroon Price Bulletin Cameroon February 2024
Bulletin des prix Cameroun Bulletin des Prix Cameroun February 2024
Price Bulletin Cameroon Price Bulletin Cameroon January 2024
Alerts / Special Reports
No reports available.
Food Security Classification Data View all Cameroon classification data
Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification (February 2024 - September 2024)

Current (February 2024) food security outcomes and forward-looking analysis representing the most likely food security outcomes for the near term (February 2024 - May 2024) and medium term (June 2024 - September 2024) periods.

Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification Shapefile February 2024 (.zip) (ZIP) Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification February 2024 (.geojson) (GeoJSON) Current Situation: February 2024 (.png) (PNG) Near Term Projection: February 2024 - May 2024 (.png) (PNG) Medium Term Projection: June 2024 - September 2024 (.png) (PNG) Current Situation: February 2024 (.kml) (KML) Near Term Projection: February 2024 - May 2024 (.kml) (KML) Medium Term Projection: June 2024 - September 2024 (.kml) (KML)
Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification (January 2024 - May 2024)

Forward-looking analysis representing the most likely food security outcomes for the near term (January 2024) and medium term (February 2024 - May 2024) periods.

Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification Shapefile January 2024 (.zip) (ZIP) Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification January 2024 (.geojson) (GeoJSON) Near Term Projection: January 2024 (.png) (PNG) Medium Term Projection: February 2024 - May 2024 (.png) (PNG) Near Term Projection: January 2024 (.kml) (KML) Medium Term Projection: February 2024 - May 2024 (.kml) (KML)
Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification (December 2023 - May 2024)

Forward-looking analysis representing the most likely food security outcomes for the near term (December 2023 - January 2024) and medium term (February 2024 - May 2024) periods.

Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification Shapefile December 2023 (.zip) (ZIP) Cameroon Acute Food Insecurity Classification December 2023 (.geojson) (GeoJSON) Near Term Projection: December 2023 - January 2024 (.png) (PNG) Medium Term Projection: February 2024 - May 2024 (.png) (PNG) Near Term Projection: December 2023 - January 2024 (.kml) (KML) Medium Term Projection: February 2024 - May 2024 (.kml) (KML)
Seasonal Calendar Seasonal Calendar
Description

The Seasonal Calendar shows the annual and cyclical patterns of key food and income sources in a country throughout the typical year.

Cameroon Seasonal Calendar
Remote Sensing Imagery Remote Sensing Imagery
Description

USGS-provided data and imagery supports FEWS NET's monitoring efforts of weather and climate throughout the world.

View all remotely sensed imagery
Livelihood Zone Resources Livelihood Zone Resources
Cameroon Livelihood Zone Descriptions Cameroon Livelihood Zone Map, April 2021
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