Period from June to September 2017:
In the period from June to September 2017, 51,909 people in two of the analyzed provinces are in need of urgent interventions to protect their livelihoods and reduce food shortages. The main causes were inadequate food consumption, insufficient food reserves, pest incidence and crop diseases. Qualitative information indicates the plague of rats in the provinces of Sofala and Tete is reaching concerning levels. The most affected were 3% of households that were classified in "Stress" (IPC Phase 2) and 0.3% of households classified in "crisis" (IPC Phase 3).

Approximately 96% of households in the 10 Provinces concerned were in the minimum phase of food insecurity (IPC Phase 1). These are households that have harvested some crops, have adequate food consumption and other assets that can be sold sustainably.

Period from October 2017 to March 2018:
The seasonal calendar indicates that the period from October 2017 to March 2018 will coincide with the rainy season, preparation of sowing fields of the 1st season and vegetative development of crops. It is during this period that there is a depletion of reserves and a rise in the prices of products on the market. However, it is projected that 3% of households in the affected provinces will remain in the "stress" phase, phase 2 of the IPC-Acute Food Insecurity (IPC-InSAA). And 2% of households in the provinces of Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala, Tete and Zambézia will be classified as "crisis" (phase 3 of the IPC-InSAA). These are those that will not have food reserves, do not have or have very limited access to other sources of income, and are susceptible to a reduction in food consumption.

The most affected people in the provinces surveyed in both periods cover households that depend mostly on agriculture, living in places with poor access to safe drinking water and poor sanitation.

In order to increase resilience, protect livelihoods and reduce the food shortage of households in acute food insecurity classified as IPC phase 2 and 3, the following recommendations are made.

• Disseminate the country's seasonal climate forecasts in a timely manner so that producers are aware of the conditions expected in the next 2017/18 crop year;
• Promote agricultural fairs and trade fairs to encourage the sale of local agricultural products and increase the availability of missing products in the area;
• Intensify food and nutrition education activities, especially culinary demonstrations, on the use, preparation and benefits of food, especially for children;
• Disseminate improved post-harvest conservation technologies to improve product storage conditions to reduce post-harvest losses;
• Promote an awareness campaign to avoid excessive sales of agricultural surpluses that could affect the quality of food consumption of the household;
• Carry out activities for the creation of community goods that increase resilience to shocks / disasters and improve the living conditions of communities such as water sources and latrines;
• Continue to conduct SAN assessments with statistical representativity at the district level to gradually have SAN information from more districts beyond the provincial level;
• Continue the actions of sanitary education and environmental sanitation.
• For the period July-September 2017, although no district has been classified as being in phase 3 of acute food insecurity, because the percentage of people at this stage did not reach the required minimum of 20%, local governments must find mechanisms with their partners to provide humanitarian assistance to 51,909 people in stage 3 of IPC to reduce the food deficit and protect livelihoods;
• For the period October 2017 to March 2018, there is a need to ensure the necessary resources and actions to support the 361,067 people likely to move to acute food insecurity phase 3 (crisis) as projected by the IPC in deficit reduction food and livelihood protection, contributing to the resilience of households and communities.