Crisis Overview
500,000 people in the Central American “Dry Corridor”, covering El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, are estimated to be facing severe food insecurity, while around 1.3 million are facing moderate food insecurity. An El Niño related dry spell has resulted in significant crop losses during the primera season in all four affected countries for the second consecutive year, severely limiting food reserves in affected areas.
Key Findings
Anticipated scope and scale
El Niño conditions are forecast to last until at least March 2016, it is unlikely that households will be able to recover during the postrera season. In addition to the impact of the prolonged dry spell, the affected countries have also been affected by an epidemic of coffee rust in recent years, which has limited livelihood opportunities for day labourers and subsistence farmers dependent on the additional income. High seasonal food prices, limited labour opportunities, and crop losses are all factors impacting the food security situation of the affected population.
Priorities for humanitarian intervention
Food and livelihood assistance.
Poor households in rural areas are most vulnerable.
El Salvador and Honduras are the worst-affected countries.
Humanitarian constraints
General insecurity has been known to hamper the delivery of humanitarian assistance in El Salvador and Honduras.