This is the updated food assistance scale-down guidance note following the October 2023 CH results dissemination. The only change is Konduga LGA in Borno state also becomes a priority LGA for targeting during the scale-down going into 2024. 

Background

The emergency food assistance lean season scale-up programming covered the peak of lean season that started in June and will be ending in September 2023. Thereafter, the Food Security Sector (FSS) partners will scale down on the number of people assisted with emergency food assistance starting the month of October 2023, going forward through the harvest and post-harvest period.

This revised food assistance strategy was adopted to ensure efficiency by reaching the highest number of food-insecure people during the most critical time of the year (peak of the lean season). This period is normally characterized by limited food availability and difficulty in access, especially due to increasing food prices. The food access challenges during the peak of the lean season lead to higher exposure to protection risks for the most vulnerable individuals. During the harvest and post-harvest period where food is relatively more available and prices relatively stable, the number of people assisted will be reduced to focus only on the most vulnerable individuals. The scale-down starts in October 2023.