Food insecurity: 5, 5 million people at risk in Cameroon

The results of the National Food Security Survey conducted in risk regions in Cameroon in October 2019 by the Ministry of Agriculture have been released.

It indicates that some five million five hundred thousand inhabitants in 30 divisions are at risk of food insecurity.

The thirteen most affected divisions in the three regions affected by insecurity include:

South West Region

– Kupe Manengouba
– Meme
– Manyu
– Lebialem

North West Region

– Bui
– Menchum
– Momo
– Ngo-Ketunjia

Far North Region

– Mayo-Tsanaga
– Mayo-Sava
– Logone-et-Chari
– Mayo-Kani
– Diamare

Although the situation has not reached the phase of famine, the situation is worrying for more than 1.3 million people, Minister Gabriel Mbaïrobé told the press.

The results of the National Food Security Survey were presented to the public during a press briefing granted by the Minister of Agriculture, Gabriel Mbaïrobé, in the presence of development partners, on Friday, December 6, 2019 in Yaoundé.

The Minister called on the entire government and Cameroon’s development partners to strengthen technical and financial support for vulnerable people.

Access to potable water

Drinking water is relatively insufficient to the populations of the East and the Northern which were percent availability has been estimated as follows:

54.5% in the East Region
69, 5% in the Adamawa region
57.9% in the North Region
69, 5% for the Far North regions

Malnutrition rate

Besides food scarcity, the population of Mayo-Tsanaga are suffering from a chronic malnutrition rate of 35.9%. The phenomenon is also felt in other parts of regions affected by the crisis.

The significant drop in agricultural production and the consequent drop in availability and access of food resources have been attributed to have caused the food insecurity.

In the North Parts of the country, Boko Haram’s terrorist attacks are at the origin while insecurity caused by separatist fighters are the main cause of food insecurity in recent years.

esponse Mechanism

In the face of the risks on human welfare posed by the food insecurity, government and development partners have been urged to take appropriate measures to rescue the 5.5 million people affected.

Some of the measures include priority actions as follows:

– Trigger humanitarian aid for more than 1.3 million people in crisis areas,
– Implement interventions to improve the resilience of affected people,
– Rehabilitate projects and programs of food production,
– Support the funding of the Data Collection Survey,
– Strengthen the surveillance system and food security monitoring.

In the meantime, Government envisages the monitoring the return of internally displaced persons from the North West, South West, West and Littoral regions as solutions are being sought to end the socio-political crisis in the North West and South West by August 2020.

It will also guard against the attacks of pachyderms and carnivorous birds in the Far North.

Elvis Teke

Elvis Teke

Journalist, Online Reporter, News Presenter, Programme Anchor, Peace Advocate, Geo-strategist,

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