Country: Cameroon Source: Famine Early Warning System Network Please refer to the attached file. Key Messages In the Far North region, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes persist across Logone-et-Chari, Mayo-Sava, and Mayo-Tsanaga divisions, where ongoing conflict and insecurity continue to disrupt household access to food and income and sustain the displacement of over 500,000 people. According to the International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix , an estimated 40,000 individuals were internally displaced between February and early March 2026, with most experiencing multiple displacements. Off-season harvesting is ongoing in the northern zone, but many conflict-affected households face insufficient food stocks due to limited harvests and no carryover stocks. Households remain heavily market dependent as demand and wages for off-season agricultural labor are reduced, constraining household earnings. Many households are unable to afford the monthly Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) cost — approximately 12,395 FCFA (21.17 USD) per person — despite recent cereal price declines. Consequently, food consumption gaps are widening, and are expected to intensify during the June-August lean season and the number of people facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes is expected to increase. Seasonal flooding in August–September will likely trigger new displacements,damage crops and livestock, and restrict market access, further restricting food availability and access. A small proportion of households in the Far North with severely eroded coping capacities are expected to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes. Crisis (IPC Phase 3) continues across the Northwest and Southwest regions as ongoing conflict disrupts livelihoods . Most households exhausted their food stocks months ago and have been heavily market dependent since. Food prices have risen sharply in March due to increased demand from the lean season. In urban markets, rice and maize prices are 11-16 percent higher than last year and 19-40 percent above the five‐year average. Income from the January-March cultivation season remains limited, with many rural households reporting fewer than five days of hired farm work per month, coupled with below-average wages, reducing purchasing power and severely constraining food access. As the lean season progresses through May, households are expected to face widening food consumption gaps and will be unable to meet minimum food needs without resorting to negative coping strategies. A small share of the worst-affected households with exhausted coping capacities will be in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Improvements in food availability and access from the main season dry harvest are expected from July to September, supporting a shift to Stressed (IPC Phase 2) in less conflict‐affected areas where some cultivation is possible. Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes persist in the urban centers of Yaoundé and Douala and are expected to continue through at least June, as already elevated food prices continue to rise seasonally during the ongoing lean season, exacerbating food access constraints for poor urban households. With limited income-earning opportunities, up to 100,000 urban internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees who have lost their livelihoods are expected to continue struggling to purchase sufficient food to meet their minimum food needs and maintain dietary diversity. Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes will continue through at least June in Mberé (Adamawa), Kadey (East), and Lom-et-Djerem (East) divisions, where the high concentration of refugees from the Central African Republic continues to exert pressure on local food prices, constraining food access for both refugee and host households. During the March-May lean season, households will increasingly rely on markets and struggle to purchase food due to increasing prices and low incomes. As a result, more households are likely to experience widening food consumption gaps, with some poor households deteriorating into Crisis (IPC Phase 3). Household food supply is expected to generally improve with the onset of dry harvesting in July, reducing the number of households in Crisis (IPC Phase 3). However, the continued high food prices, coupled with below-average production and limited income-earning opportunities for refugees and poor host communities, will likely sustain Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes beyond the harvest period. The timely arrival of rains in March across both unimodal and bimodal rainfall areas in the southern zone is expected to support main crop planting during March and April, with seasonal forecasts indicating average rainfall through May that will likely support crop establishment and growth.Planting of main season crops is underway in most areas, though progress remains slow in conflict-affected regions where insecurity continues to restrict farmers’ access to fields. The 2026 agricultural season, officially launched on March 13, marked
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