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Afghanistan Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Snapshot, April - November 2020

Countries
Afghanistan
Sources
IPC
Publication date
Origin
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Overview

Food insecurity is alarmingly high in Afghanistan during the current period (April-May 2020) with 10.9 million people (35% of the population analysed) facing IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or above. These include around 7.38 million people in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and 3.47 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). With the harvest beginning in June, it is expected that food insecurity will slightly improve. From June to November 2020, it is expected that 10.3 million people (34% of the population) will face acute food insecurity, with 22% of the population in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and 11% in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).

After the harvest, it is likely the food insecurity situation will improve in rural areas, since households will have increased access to food from own production and prices may also decrease. However, despite the overall reduction in people facing acute food insecurity, the population in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) is expected to increase in the projection period, as the urban households relying on market for food purchase and on daily labor opportunities for their income, will likely experience larger food gaps. In urban centers, the negative economic impacts of COVID-19 are likely to counteract the positive impacts of the harvest. The severity will be higher in areas where humanitarian access is limited.

Although food is still available in nearly all markets, the prices of basic food commodities increased by 10 to 20%. The lockdown measures put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic significantly decreased daily labor opportunities, reducing household purchasing power and food access