Mothers in Survival Mode: The Human Face of Cameroon’s Food Insecurity Crisis

Hunger is no longer a seasonal accident in Cameroon; it has become structural. In communities affected by flooding, prolonged conflict, and economic instability, families are no longer simply going through a hard patch; their ability to cope is gradually collapsing.

Photo by Wietse Jongsma on Unsplash

A community assessment carried out by the Cameroon Red Cross among nearly 6,000 households in the Lake Chad Basin areas (Logone-et-Chari, Mayo-Danay, Mayo-Sava) paints an alarming picture: 64% of households are experiencing severe food insecurity, only 8% have acceptable food consumption, food stocks last an average of just 0.5 months, 92% lack cash to buy food, 81% of children are not reaching minimum dietary diversity, and 61% of households are resorting to extreme survival strategies.

Nationally, the situation is deteriorating fast: the number of people facing food insecurity rose from 2.1 million in 2023 to a projected 2.9 million in 2026, bringing the total number of people currently affected in the country to 3.3 million. This worsening trend is linked to several compounding factors: 12.8% food inflation in 2023, devastating floods in the Far North in 2024, ongoing insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin, and around 510,000 internally displaced people recorded in 2025. Notably, markets are often still stocked, but more than 90% of affected households report not having enough cash to cover their basic food needs, meaning the crisis is driven more by income than by supply.

In response, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), supporting the Cameroon Red Cross, has launched a 9.6 million Swiss franc emergency appeal to scale up life-saving assistance, aiming to support 330,000 people in the Far North through cash assistance, livelihoods support, nutrition screening, and water and sanitation services.

What must be done to strengthen household food security?

The findings show that Cameroon’s food insecurity crisis is not simply a food shortage. It is a crisis of affordability, livelihoods, climate vulnerability, and nutrition. While emergency food assistance remains essential for families already in survival mode, long-term solutions must also restore people's ability to consistently produce, purchase, and access nutritious food.

In the immediate term, expanding emergency cash transfers and food assistance should remain a priority, especially in areas affected by conflict and flooding. Since markets are often functioning but households lack purchasing power, cash-based assistance can help families meet their food needs while supporting local markets. At the same time, community-based screening and treatment of acute malnutrition, alongside breastfeeding and complementary feeding support, can help prevent further deterioration in children's nutritional status.

Next, interventions should focus on rebuilding household resilience. Promoting climate-smart agriculture, home gardens, and small-scale livestock production can improve food availability and diversify diets. These efforts should be integrated with safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programmes to reduce disease-related malnutrition, while encouraging local production of affordable fortified foods can help address widespread micronutrient deficiencies.

Finally, Cameroon must invest in stronger social protection systems that shield vulnerable households from recurring economic and climate shocks. Expanding livelihood opportunities, strengthening disaster preparedness, investing in climate-resilient agriculture, and supporting local food value chains will help reduce dependence on emergency aid. Sustained collaboration among government institutions, humanitarian organisations, research institutions, communities, and the private sector will be essential to build a food system that is not only productive, but also resilient, inclusive, and capable of withstanding future crises.