Kenya: Food security situation improves but unusually high temperatures slow recovery in pastoral areas
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Unusually high temperatures to slow recovery in pastoral, southeastern, and coastal areas
KEY MESSAGES
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The short rains harvest is ongoing in southeastern and coastal marginal agricultural livelihood zones. The national short rains maize harvest is expected to be near average, but production in the marginal mixed farming livelihood zone in Makueni, Taita Taveta, and Kwale Districts may still be poor enough to limit food availability and access.
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Food consumption improved in January 2013 compared to December 2012 due to early harvests and favorable grazing conditions along with recent livestock births, which also favored milk production. As a result, the proportion of children at ‘at risk’ of malnutrition in January remained below average and lower than December.
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Although grazing conditions are favorable, abnormally high temperatures during the short dry season from January to March 2013 are likely to cause a rapid decline of water and grazing resources in pastoral livelihood zones. This will limit milk production. Consequently, limited access to milk may impact negatively on household nutrition.