An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) visited South Sudan from 30 November to 12 December 2016 to estimate cereal production during 2016 and assess the overall food security situation. The CFSAM reviewed findings of several crop assessments conducted at planting and harvest time in the different agro-ecological zones of the country from May to December 2016. The 2016 net cereal production in the traditional sector is estimated at about 826 000 tonnes, the smallest amount harvested since the start of the conflict. Both harvested area and yields have declined following the increase in intensity and scale of the conflict which had disrupted farming activities, particularly during the second season. Major reductions in cereal production are estimated in Greater Equatoria Region and in Western Bahr el Ghazal State.

With a projected population of about 12 million in mid-2017, the overall cereal deficit in the January-December 2017 marketing year is estimated at about 500 000 tonnes, over 30 percent above the deficit estimated for 2016. Under the 2017 emergency response, FAO plans to distribute vegetable/fishing kits and crop seeds to approximately 900 000 vulnerable households. Moreover, the livestock vaccination and treatment campaign is targeting approximately 5 million heads. WFP plans to assist approximately 4 million people with about 300 000 tonnes of mixed food commodities and cash transfers. Restrictions in humanitarian access due to on-going insecurity and inadequate funding are likely to impose constraints in reaching populations in urgent need of assistance.