Through March 2021, at least 2.9 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) and therefore require urgent action. Of these people, 614,000 are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). The entire country has been classified in IPC Phase 3, with the departments with the greatest severity being: Cortés (41%), Yoro and Valle (35%), and with the greatest magnitude: Cortés (732,000 people in IPC Phase 3 or above), Francisco Morazán (469,000 people), and Yoro (221,000 people).

In the first projection period of April to June 2021, the population in IPC Phase 3 or above will likely increase to about 3.1 million, and to 3.3 million in the second projection period of July to September 2021. The severity of acute food insecurity has reached unprecedented levels and the IPC analysis projects that the situation will worsen in the coming months.

The main causes of this worrying situation are the heavy losses caused by category 4 hurricanes Eta and Iota in November 2020, which destroyed homes and livelihoods, as well as income losses due to mobility and transport restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In both projection periods, the situation of acute food insecurity will likely be exacerbated by a persistent lack of employment, depletion of food reserves, rising food prices, and the possibility of exacerbation of COVID-19 measures due to the seasonal lean season expected by the end of the second projection. These conditions could lead to the persistence of Crisis and Emergency coping strategies in affected households.