Malawi, nearly 1.9 million people are food insecure

Overview 

UPDATED PROJECTION NOV 2019 - MARCH 2020 

In the period November 2019 to March 2020, which is the peak of the hunger season, about 1.9 million people are estimated to be in IPC Phase 3 + and require urgent action to prevent significant food consumption gaps and prevent use of negative livelihood coping strategies. The food security situation in Malawi has significantly deteriorated since the projection undertaken in June for most of the country owing to changes in availability of maize grain stocks, the price of maize and alternative food commodities, the decrease in the winter harvest, below average rainfall forecast for the southern districts, and consequent reduction in agricultural labour opportunities. 

The key driver of Malawi’s food insecurity is high maize prices, which are projected to hover between 60 and 100 percent above average between November 2019 and March 2020.