Three million and thirty thousand people, or 20% of the population analyzed in 72 of Mozambique's 156 districts, "faced high levels of acute food insecurity", according to the report prepared by a network of 16 agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the European Union. "The situation has deteriorated compared to the 2022/23 lean season; the proportion of the population facing high levels of acute food insecurity in districts classified as 'Crisis' (IPC Phase 3) increased from 23 to 50 percent," the report says. "Two newly assessed districts in Cabo Delgado were classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4)," the report adds, stressing that 200,000 people have reached this phase of food insecurity in the country in 2023. The lack of employment opportunities in areas affected by climate shocks and conflict has reduced families' purchasing power, decreasing consumption. Annual food inflation reached 18.3% in March and decreased to 3.2% at the end of October, before increasing again to 9.1% at the end of the year (WFP, December 2023). Despite a reduction in conflict in Cabo Delgado, sporadic attacks disrupted local food systems in the province in 2023, particularly from December onwards, when "food insecurity deteriorated sharply", the report notes. More than 700,000 people were still displaced in October 2023, while another 600,000 had returned to safe areas, "but without the means to restart their livelihoods," the study says, using figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In February 2023, floods in southern Mozambique were closely followed by two landfalls of Tropical Cyclone Freddy in eight provinces of the country, and the study points to FAO estimates that 4% of total cultivated land, largely concentrated in the central and southern provinces, was affected by the floods. "Strong winds and widespread flooding caused displacement and significant damage to infrastructure, crops, and livestock, reducing food stocks and access to income-generating opportunities, particularly in Zambezia province," the text stresses. Freddy's landfalls also accelerated the spread of the cholera outbreak, which began in September 2022, but between February and the end of April 2023 increased tenfold in terms of cases, which reached a total of 28,000 in the latter month. In 2024, the report predicts that below-average rainfall in November 2023, high temperatures and the likelihood of a weak rainy season due to El Niño "will reduce agricultural production and contribute to increased food prices". Annual food inflation reached 18.3% in March 2023 and decreased to 3.2% at the end of October, before increasing again to 9.1% at the end of the year, according to WFP. Read Also: There are 281.6 million people at high levels of food insecurity (Portuguese version)