key message
- Afghanistan remains in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes towards the end of winter, coinciding with the peak of the Lehman season across the northern, northeastern and northwest regions. With limited agricultural labor opportunities and household food stocks eroding in the lowlands ahead of the harvest season that begins in May, poor households are forced to rely on market purchases for food, which is seasonal. We are now facing consumption disparities due to a decline in purchasing power. In the central and eastern regions, increased competition for jobs from returnees from Iran and Pakistan has limited work opportunities. The decline in remittances from Iran has also eroded the purchasing power of households in the central and western regions. However, lower than average food prices prevent a serious deterioration in food security during lean seasons. Staple food prices remain 25% lower than the same period last year and 30% lower than average, supported by the appreciation of the Afghan currency. Food security is expected to improve significantly from May to September as crops become more available in eastern, southeastern and southern Afghanistan. Increased access to food and income from agricultural labor is expected to drive stress (IPC phase 2) outcomes during the forecast period.
- In Lebanon, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected to persist until September among poor households in the north, Syrian and Palestinian refugees, and people displaced by conflict in the south. Cross-border fighting between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah from October 2023 to mid-March 2024 displaced more than 90,000 people in southern Lebanon. In February, WFP provided humanitarian assistance to approximately 100,000 people affected by the conflict in southern Lebanon. However, the level of support was insufficient to meet needs. Critical food and income sources were severely cut off for displaced households in Bint Jubail, Marjayoun, and Tire. In the south, unevacuated households suffered severe damage to their farms and unusually low yields with above-average prices for food and non-food items. Poor non-displaced households increasingly adopt adverse coping strategies to compensate for food and income losses. In northern Lebanon, both refugees and poor households face disparities in food consumption or irreversible coping strategies amid cuts in humanitarian funding. WFP has cut humanitarian assistance to refugees by 30 percent and in-kind food assistance to poor households by 50 percent from 2024. However, since the number of beneficiaries is the same before and after the reduction, the extent of the reduction is unclear. Similarly, the government's cash transfer safety net distribution, which covers 400,000 people, has been regularly reduced, equivalent to a 44% cut in benefits, highlighting the precarious situation of food insecurity among affected households. I have to.
- Food consumption disparities in crisis (IPC phase 3) are widening across Yemen, even in areas receiving humanitarian assistance. As humanitarian assistance is cut, higher than average food and fuel prices and reduced access to home-grown food sources are limiting household access to food. Yemen continues to face severe economic challenges due to declining foreign exchange reserves and a 33% depreciation of the Yemeni rial last year, highlighting inflationary market pressures in areas controlled by the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) has been done. After the March grain harvest, food access improved slightly among households along the Arabian coast, temporarily relieving disparities caused by severe erosion of household purchasing power. Following the suspension of humanitarian assistance, several governorates of the Sana'a-based Authority (SBA) have seen a decline in income and food sources, with the added impact of: The outcome is likely to occur during the forecast period of May to September. Protracted conflict. Although the start of the rainy season from March to May was generally uneventful, flooding in March negatively affected the population of Shabwa, Raj, Abyan, Marib, and Ibb governorates.
- Although Gaza is not regularly monitored by FEWS NET and therefore not typically included in regional summaries, FEWS NET's targeted analysis on Gaza can be found here. Food security in the Gaza Strip is of extreme concern. Famine (IPC Phase 5) is imminent in northern Gaza. To prevent widespread loss of life, an immediate cessation of hostilities is necessary, paralleled by a large-scale, multi-sectoral response with unrestricted access to those in need.
Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Middle East and Asia Key Messages Update March 2024: High levels of food insecurity in conflict-affected regions in 2024 amid aid cuts.
