In general, the food security situation in all livelihood zones is satisfactory in terms of the availability and prices of grain.

Despite limited pasture resources and animal watering problems in the North and the Sahel, terms of trade for livestock/grain are still in favor of pastoralists in most parts of the country.

New outbreaks of meningitis in certain health districts and the contamination of bore holes in the north are serious threats affecting household health status.

Suspected bird flu outbreaks in the central region dictate the need for increased surveillance at the country level.

Seasonal calendar

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Current food security situation

On the whole, the household food situation in all livelihood zones is considered acceptable, despite anticipated problems in the following at-risk areas.

In the Sahel, a livelihood zone characterized mainly by transhumant pastoralism and pearl millet production (figure 1), the levels of on-farm reserves are relatively low in villages like Déou and Tinakoff in Oudalan province and virtually nonexistent in other villages like Gorgadji, in Soum. With household food self-sufficiency in this area considered average at best, the short-term food outlook suggests that households will face increasing food insecurity during the next one to three months. However, inventory levels in grain banks in this region are satisfactory thanks to partnerships between certain NGOs and regional organizations.

In the Northern and North-Central regions, where there are two contiguous livelihood zones, that of the far north, characterized by livestock raising and millet production, and the food economy zone based on grain and groundnut production and market gardening, the food situation of chronically food-insecure households is beginning to be a source of concern. A normal level of local production in certain provinces like Bam covers a mere three months’ worth of household food needs. With household food reserves set aside for consumption during the farming season and lean period as in other parts of the country, local households are currently turning to area markets to buy grain with proceeds from sales of small animals and income from activities such as market gardening.

Figure 1. Livelihood zones in Burkina Faso   FULL-SIZE IMAGE

ZONE MAIN TYPES OF PRODUCTION Zone1 Tubers/Corn Zone 2 Corn, Rice, Fruit, Cotton Zone 3 Cotton, Corn Zone 4 Sorghum, Millet, Cotton Zone 5 Grain, Groundnuts, Market Gardening Zone 6 Sorghum, Millet, Sedentary livestock, Cotton Zone 7 Livestock, Millet Zone 8 Transhumant Pastoralism, Pearl Millet Zone 9 Groundnuts, millet, sorghum, cross-border trade, tourism, hunting

The permanent closure of arsenic-contaminated boreholes in the Northern region is creating serious concerns over the supply of drinking water in affected communities.

In general, current household food availability in the Eastern and Central Plateau regions is satisfactory, except in certain localized areas. Together, these two regions encompass three livelihood zones: grain and groundnut production and market gardening on the Central Plateau; sorghum and millet production, sedentary livestock-raising and cotton production in the northern and northeastern part of the Eastern region; and groundnut, millet and sorghum production, cross-border trade, tourism and hunting in the southern and southwestern part of this same Eastern region. There is good grain availability on area markets provisioned by traders, except in certain departments.

Households in other regions and livelihood zones still have adequate food supplies to ensure their daily meals.

The meningitis epidemic in parts of the North-Central, Eastern, Northern and Central-Western regions could affect household living standards, by increasing the resources poor households must devote to healthcare. As of the end of February, there were 3,625 suspected cases of meningitis and 324 deaths, or an 8.9 percent fatality rate. Current efforts by health stakeholders and their partners are focused on further improving drug supplies at the health district level in line with the number of reported cases of illness, pursuing awareness-raising activities through the media and expanding epidemiological surveillance.

Food access on produce markets

Food access on markets in virtually all regions is satisfactory. Most provincial and departmental markets are well stocked by traders. Market prices are edging upwards, which is quite normal for this time of year, but inventory levels in grain banks in this region are satisfactory thanks to partnerships between certain NGOs and regional organizations, and prices are still below last year’s figures.

Supplies on provincial and departmental markets in the Sahelian region are satisfactory in Soum, Seno and Oudalan provinces and low in Yagha province, an area which is reportedly exporting massive amounts of grain to Niger. Such exports are quite normal in border areas but, in this case, excessive exports have reduced grain availability and driven up prices. Markets in this region are generally provisioned by trader inventories from the Western region and the capital, Sankaryaré/Ouagadougou.

In the North-Central region, strategies for bolstering grain access vary from one province to another in food insecure departments. Grain purchases in Bam province are financed by income-generating activities and in Sanmatenga Province by proceeds from sales of small animals.

Right now, income from livestock-raising market gardening and migration income in food-insecure areas in the Northern region are bolstering household grain access. However, there are concerns about supplies in certain departmental markets in Yatenga province, once access to this area is cut off during the rainy season.

A look at trends in prices for local millet crops on reference markets (figure 2) shows price increases everywhere but in Niéneta/Bobo Dioulasso. This is a reflection of the normal, seasonal, post-harvest upswing in grain prices and is probably a market reaction to ongoing procurements of local grain crops and growing consumer demand. Prices are 5 percent lower than last month in Niéneta (a grain-producing area in the western part of the country), 5 percent higher than last month on the Sankaryaré/Ouagadougou market in the Central region and 4 percent higher on the Dori market in the Sahel. Current prices are more than 15 percent below prices at the same time last year, except in Kaya, where prices are 8 percent higher. There was a 12 percent jump in prices for local millet crops on the Kaya market between December and January (Figure 3), most likely due to the effects of the flooding in this region during last year’s rainy season. However, prices on this market are still running below the five-year average.

Figure 2. Trends in prices for local millet crops on reference markets between January 2006 and January 2007 FULL-SIZE IMAGE Source of data: SIM/SONAGESS, RESIMAO and Regional Departments of Agriculture; Graphic by FEWS NET

Figure 3. Trends in prices for local millet crops on the Kaya market compared with 2006 and the five-year average FULL-SIZE IMAGE Source of data: SIM/SONAGESS, RESIMAO and Regional Departments of Agriculture; Graphic by FEWS NET

Livestock situation

For the most part, livestock are being fed agricultural byproducts such as forage, tops of plants and hay. The food situation for livestock in livelihood zones characterized by transhumant pastoralism, livestock-raising and local millet production (in the Sahel, the Northern region and the North-Central region) is becoming complicated. The availability of pasture, whose condition is quickly deteriorating, is poor to nil. Forage inventories in the form of crop residues and/or forage crops (cowpeas) are too low to meet projected livestock needs until new pasture is available after the start of the rainy season in June. The purchasing of agricultural byproducts on local markets is one of the coping strategies used by pastoralists to feed their herds. These products are extremely sought-after, but government-subsidized supplies offered through Provincial Offices and the Department of Animal Resources are often inadequate.

The availability of water for livestock is also becoming increasingly problematic in the Sahel, after certain dams in Séno and Soum provinces burst following torrential rains during last year’s rainy season. The drying of seasonal lakes, ponds and large-diameter wells is forcing animals to travel large distances in search of water. In some departments, animals are only being watered every other day.

A suspected bird flu outbreak in Ouagadougou, in the center of the country, is a reminder that the epidemic can strike again at any time, given the pattern of the disease in certain area countries.

Normal migration between villages, departments and even provinces and regions has already started in areas with large concentrations of livestock and meager pasture resources. There are also reports of normal cross-border seasonal migration by livestock in Oudalan and Yagha. Animals from these parts of the Sahel have been sighted heading towards the country’s eastern region and, in some cases, towards countries bordering on that region, which is normal at this time of year.

Animal health conditions are still stable, despite a few localized cases of pasteurellosis. However, surveillance of reported cross-border seasonal migratory movements is extremely important.

Figure 4. Trends in terms of trade between male goats and millet in Djibo market FULL-SIZE IMAGE	Figure 5. Trends in terms of trade between male goats and millet in Kaya market FULL-SIZE IMAGE
Sources for figures 4-5: Animal Statistics Service-DEP/MRA, SIM-SONAGESS, RESIMAO, Regional Departments of Agriculture, Regional Departments of Animal Resources; Graphic by FEWS NET

A look at trends in prices for Sahelian male goats in good condition on the Djibo market (a reference market in a livelihood zone characterized by transhumant pastoralism and pearl millet production) shows a slight rise in prices since last month (figure 4); the sale of one goat can purchase more than two and a half 100-kg sacks of locally grown millet. Price differentials for livestock and grain products are widening, which is a sign of brisk animal sales. An examination of figures for January shows a rather large differential in price ratios for millet/male goats, with animal prices rising and millet prices falling. With current terms of trade for millet/male goats in the North-Central Region, whose seat of government is in Kaya, the sale of a male goat buys more than a sack and a half of millet (figure 5).

Food security outlook and suggestions

Despite adequate market supplies and below average prices, household food security in the Northern and Sahelian regions will likely decline by the end of March, given the low level of on-farm reserves and the heavy pressure from humans and animals on existing water resources. Efforts to battle the meningitis epidemic need to be bolstered by wide preventive vaccination coverage. Likewise, effective expanded surveillance of poultry at border crossings and of wild birds in their migration corridors is necessary to prevent any risk of the bird flu virus spreading around the country.