Borno, Adamawa and Yobe: Lean Season Food Security and Nutrition Crisis Multi-sector Plan 2024

Introduction

The survival of more than 230,000 children under five hangs in the balance this May to September lean season in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states in north-east Nigeria if they do not urgently get treatment for acute malnutrition and other nutrition interventions. They also need access to clean water, healthcare, and hygienic living conditions to protect them from diseases such as diarrhoea which could increase the risk of death.

In the three states, 4.8 million people are also likely to face severe food insecurity over the lean season, as reported in the Government-led Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis of March 2024. Of these people, close to half a million are facing high levels of food insecurity, just a step away from catastrophic levels of hunger. This is the highest number of food insecure people in the BAY states in six years - troubling evidence of the scope and severity of needs requiring an immediate response. Children and vulnerable people, such as women, people living with disabilities and older persons, are especially at elevated risk of acute malnutrition.

The food insecurity and malnutrition crisis are the result of protracted conflict and insecurity in the BAY states, which have disrupted livelihoods and prevented farmers from growing the food they need to feed their families and to sell in markets. Drought in parts of Adamawa and Yobe states has contributed to less food availability. Rising inflation, both for food and fuel, has compounded the crisis pricing basic food commodities out of the reach of the most vulnerable people.

To address this alarming crisis, the Humanitarian Country Team in Nigeria, in support of the efforts of the Government of Nigeria, has developed this six-month multisectoral Lean Season Plan to mobilize critical funding and resources for not only immediate food assistance and emergency healthcare but also interventions in agricultural livelihoods, water, sanitation, and hygiene and protection.

The Lean Season Plan seeks US$306.4 million to address the urgent needs of 2.8 million affected people in most severe need and to prevent a further deterioration in conditions. It is a strategic response aimed at providing immediate life-saving assistance and building the resilience of affected communities. It also prioritizes enhancing protection services to safeguard the most vulnerable people, particularly women and children, who are disproportionately affected by the crisis.

The Lean Season Plan is integrated within the broader framework of the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan for north-east Nigeria. It is a coordinated effort that calls for resources to assist people in need - from donors to humanitarian partners to the private sector and other well-wishers - with the Government in the lead both at state and federal levels.

The potential cost of inaction, both on the lives and wellbeing of affected people and on humanitarian programmes, underscores the urgency of this Plan. If we do not act, thousands of children under five could die. There will be increased population displacement as people move in search of food. There will also be a profound deterioration in the living conditions of millions of people. Emergency food assistance will be scaled down pushing more people into deprivation. Half of the nutrition centres in the BAY states may halt operations. Desperation will drive more people beyond the safety of garrison towns heightening the risks of abductions, kidnappings, killings, sexual and gender-based violence, or exposure to landmines or unexploded ordnances. Affected communities will continue to adopt negative coping mechanisms, including survival sex, begging in the streets, child labour, forced and early marriage. These are but a few of the grim but avoidable repercussions if we do not act.

This is a coordinated plan of time-critical actions to preserve and advance the humanitarian gains made in recent years. This is critical as we continue to jointly work in support of the Government - humanitarian and development partners together - to reduce humanitarian needs through solutions for displaced people, social protection, and improved access to basic services and livelihoods to address the underlying causes of vulnerability.

I am counting on your generous contributions and sustained support to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people most in need in north-east Nigeria.

United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Nigeria

Mohamed Malick Fall