DCA and Partners Flash Report on Food Security Situation in Eastern State 07 th March 2016

1. Introduction: In March 2016 DCA, together with its local partners, Community Development Support Services (CDSS) and Development Initiative (KDI), carried out a food and market assessment in Kapoeta South, Budi and Counties in the former state. This was in response to the IPC October – December 2015 report as well prior field monitoring reports which showed the food security situation in the state was fast deteriorating due to crop failure.

The objective of the assessment was to assess the extend of household food insecurity and livelihood situation as well as the capacity of the local market to supply basic commodities needed to support recovery prospects of the most affected using a market-based intervention if required. Based on 2008 the population census (without population growth 1 factor), has a population size of 16,773, Ikotos 4,184 and Kapoeta South 11,849. The information gathered in each counties was based on average sample size of 2 and 3% household. A total of 816 households were randomly sampled.

2. Key findings:

Food insecurity : Overall, the food security situation has deteriorated since January 2016 since the little quantity of food harvested by majority of households in the last agricultural season was depleted in December. Approximately 13,450 households are severely food insecure and require urgent assistance to access food while additional 11,154 households are moderately food insecure. DCA is planning to assist approximately 1,900 vulnerable households with vouchers to access food, seeds and tools. However, there is urgent need to reach up to 24,605 households with assistance in order for them to survive and be able to plant during this season.

1 World Bank estimated population growth rate for is between 3.9 to 4.4% annually. Available http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW

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Graph showing food insecurity level of the sample population

Food stock available for 720 Households 350 292 300 244 250

200

150

100 75 73 26 50 5 5 0

Less than 2 More than 6 weeks 2-4 weeks 1-2 months 2-4 months 4-6 months months No stocks

As shown above, approximately 40.6% of the sampled households (720 HH) interviewed did not have any food in stock. 34% of households with stock revealed that the stock would last less than one week. This gap was said to apply to varieties of local seeds which households reported that they households have depleted and would not be able to access during the next agricultural season.

Overall, the results show that the 74.6 % of the households interviewed in all the three counties are currently living just below a survival threshold for basic food. The households are adopting coping strategies with limited dietary food intake.

Food prices continued to increase and household purchasing power is compromised especially households with low income level could not afford to purchase key food commodities i.e. cereal, pulses or meat. Therefore, households were not able to maintain a nutritionally balanced diet. This situation is anticipated to depreciate between the end of March and May. Households are assumed to be food secure during the next crop harvest which is expected to be between July and August depending on the rainfall onset this year.

Markets: The supply of basic food commodities has decreased compared to late 2015. Traders interviewed stated that they could not re-stock commodities due to shortage of hard currency for purchasing food from East African countries (Uganda and Kenya). Many shops in all the markets visited in all the three counties have closed down. All retailers’ shops in one of the markets in Budi County (Lorema Boma) have closed down due to above reason. Devaluation of the SSP against the hard currency (US$) and other regional currencies has not only resulted in drastic increase of food prices, but also resulted in lack of access of supplies at cross- border markets. Households in Budi and Ikotos counties that used to access food commodities at Uganda border market reported that they could not buy the food commodities any longer as traders would not accept South Sudanese Pounds. Same traders in Budi County (Lotukei payam) have resorted to barter trade. However, households that do not own some assets mainly livestock – cow, goat, sheep chicken, or utensils - do not have the opportunity to barter and are considered to be the most vulnerable and food insecure.

Households in highlands of Budi County had moderate harvest and were supplying the lowland households with cereal (maize and sorghum), pulses (beans) and vegetable leaves (kale). However, due to high level of the population in need of food, the quantity of food supplied to market is inadequate. Households interviewed stated that, they have to go and wait for

2 the food supply along the way to the market. In some cases, the consumers had to travel to the highlands and search for the food to buy, labour for or barter from home to home .

3. Main shocks: Although drought was the main shock that resulted to crop failure, the household prioritized other related shocks that were experienced in the past three months. High prices food of commodities, Main shocks faced by households inadequate health services and insecurity/violence are the major shocks that have increased the vulnerability of the most vulnerable households.

Negative practices such as robbery and cattle theft/raiding has increase as some community members adopt these practices Food too expensive/high food prises 36% of 720 HH as coping strategies. Insecurity/violence 27.5% of 720 HH Human sickness 21.5% of 720 HH Livestock diseases and the concern for delay Others (livestock diseases, delay of rains 15% of 720 HH of rains was also revealed by the interviewees.

4. Household livelihoods Coping strategies : To keep up with the situation, the households interviewed have adopted the following coping strategies:

• Limited petty trade whereby mostly women sell:

o Firewood or charcoal o Wild fruits, vegetables, raw mangoes o Less than 20 women retailing cereal (maize or sorghum) in Kapoeta South main market said “it’s better to sell the grain because they can get one cup/jug of cereal for the family than selling firewood with little income gained.”

• Reducing number of meals per day i.e. majority of households depend on one meal per day- mainly wild fruits and wild vegetables and leaves without cereals.

• Local mining and selling of gold in two Payams (villages) each in Kapoeta South and Budi counties. Mainly youth are involved in this micro-business to support the family.

• Some men in nearby payams move to Kapoeta town every morning to find casual labour and drink local beer or food to eat.

• Households that own cattle could not supply children with fresh milk as the cattle are in the kraals or water/pasture points far from the households. Secondly, quantity of milk produced is less due to poor feeding of livestock and a lot of movement in search of pasture.

• Majority Didinga households in Budi County depend on food supplied by farmers in the upper lands of Nagishot, Loudo and Nauro because farmers were able to harvest cereals and beans and vegetable leaves are also available. However,

o Due to high demand, consumers had to walk and wait for the commodities supplied along the way to the market 3

o Some consumers had to go and search for the food to purchase at household level. o Some households have to barter livestock or utensils with food stuffs in Budi highlands. However the quantity of food owned by the highlanders is deteriorating. • Households that own cattle have moved to the kraal sites to access milk in locations where the cattle can access water and pasture i.e. along Kidepo valley.

• The neighbouring communities of Uganda Kotido district and Budi payams of Lotukie have organized a monthly auction market day. Due to devaluation of the SSP, consumers have to barter assets (goat, cow or chicken) in exchange for cereals.

• Heads of household (men) who own livestock such as goat/sheep or cattle normally sell and keep the income. Only part of the income is used for purchasing household food. Households that do not own cattle are at high risk as they cannot not afford to buy any cereal in big quantity (i.e. a bag of grain costs SSP 500 - 550). Thus, women become more vulnerable as they are left to search for food for the household on a daily basis.

However, the elderly, children and people with disability were said to suffer most especially when guardians had to leave the house early to search for wild fruits, vegetables or access the market. Cases of prostitution among young women was also reported in Kapoeta town.

5. Constraints: • 19 Bomas in Kapoeta South and 2 in Ikotos counties were not accessed by the assessment team due to insecurity.

• It was difficult for the assessment team to determine the household weekly, monthly and annual income. Majority of the households do not have fixed weekly or monthly income.

• Similarly, the quantity of livestock owned by a household was not easy to determine.

• Some cultural barriers i.e. cattle being kept for prestige and paying bride prices with little consideration as source of livelihood also contributed to the suffering of women who are responsible for sourcing daily household food in both counties.

6. Recommended Actions: • Urgent assistance targeting the most vulnerable at household level such as those with no or little stock combined with other vulnerability criteria, such as children, women, elderly and people with special needs.

• DCA and partners are initiating a voucher intervention to roughly 1,900 households covering food, seeds and tools. Due to a funding gap, most food vouchers will be limited to 40 USD, which is 20 USD below FSL Cluster Recommendations. In addition to this, DCA and partners will work with community committees to identify and implement community-driven risk reduction activities related to security and small-scale disasters.

For additional information please contact: Christine Yangi Abina, Programme Officer, DCA-Act Alliance, [email protected]

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