El Salvador - Food Security Outlook Update: Lean season begins amid erratic rainfall and primera production risks, April - September 2026

Country: El Salvador Source: Famine Early Warning System Network Please refer to the attached file. Key Messages Through May 2026, Stressed (IPC Phase 2) area-level outcomes will remain widespread, driven by atypically early depletion of food stocks from localized below-average 2025 postrera production, atypical market dependence, and persistently above-average staple food prices. However, pockets of poor households experiencing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) persist, particularly in the Eastern Dry Corridor. From June to September 2026, food insecurity is expected to peak, with Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes emerging across more areas and an increase in the population experiencing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes, mainly in the Eastern Dry Corridor and parts of western zones. Below-average agricultural labor demand for staple grains and below-average primera yields for smallholder farmers is expected to result in delayed and uneven replenishment of household food stocks, and below-average incomes, leading to short‑lived improvements after the harvest. Erratic and below‑average rainfall at the outset of the rainy season is leading to localized delays in planting activities, with downstream effects throughout the rest of the agricultural calendar. Poor weather forecasts are expected to negatively affect rainfed smallholder maize and bean primera production as well as reduce agricultural labor demand for staple grains. Volatile global prices for fuel and fertilizers are placing upward pressure on domestic transportation and food production costs. These pressures are expected to further erode household purchasing power and continue to constrain food access for poor households, despite adequate food availability throughout the country. This report provides an update to the El...

Original source: Relief Web