Burkina Faso hosts some 107,000 refugees from Mali. Although the influx of refugees decreased over the last few months, it has not stopped. The presence of refugees on food and water resources, high food prices and conflict between refugees and host communities affect household access to sufficient and adequate food. Insufficient funding for response may hamper the continuity of assistance to refugees and hosts. According to the government, some 20,000 people have been affected by floods in 17 provinces. A joint assessment is on-going in order to identify needs.
Food prices reached high levels during the lean season, between July and September. In September, grain price levels were well above last year for millet (+66 per cent), sorghum (+52 per cent) and maize (+21 per cent). Although millet prices have started to decline in some urban markets, they remained unusually high in the food deficit areas targeted by on-going relief food distributions, such as the Sahel region (+67per cent). In pastoralist areas, terms of trade between small ruminants and the price of millet have generally been declining since the beginning of the year, limiting the ability of pastoralists to access food.
The lean period is coming to end, as the main harvest begins in September and early October. The crop season went well thanks to regular and sufficient rainfalls. However, household food security status remains fragile as numerous households sold their assets, including livestock, or took on new debt during the 2012 food crisis. Trends in refugee arrivals and in food prices would determine food security outcomes in Burkina Faso in coming months.
October 2012