A joint report by the Kenya Food Security Steering Group (KFSSG)1 and the Baringo County Steering Group July 2017 1 Evelyn Wangari Nganga (National Drought Management Authority) and Peter Mndanyi (World Vision) Executive Summary The county is classified in the Crisis (IPC Phase 3). The pastoral-all species and agro-pastoral livelihood zones are classified in Crisis while the mixed farming and irrigated cropping ones are in the Stressed (IPC Phase 2). There was a reduction in the food frequency, nutritive value and dietary diversity as evidenced by the reduction in the proportion of households with an acceptable diet from 90.7 percent in May 2016 to 59.8 percent in May 2017 Food Security Outcome Monitoring. The reduced food consumption gaps was also manifested in the increase in the frequency and severity of consumption-based coping strategies as evidenced by the increase in the coping strategy index from 12.9 in May 2016 to 18.6 in May 2017. The nutritional status had deteriorated as the proportion of children at risk of malnutrition increased from 18 percent in January 2017 to 25 percent in June 2017. Food availability at household level was below normal across all livelihood zones. Only the households in the mixed farming livelihood zone had stocks available with the rest currently relying on markets for food. Livestock production was also below average as livestock stayed away from homesteads in search of pasture reducing milk availability. Additionally, even the remaining livestock could not fetch competitive prices due to weakened body condition. Access to food was a challenge for most households in the county as prices of maize, a staple in the county maintained an above-average trend attributed to acute unavailability of the commodity due to low supply. Reduced income from livestock production had limited access to food for 88 and 50 percent of the households in the pastoral-all species and agro-pastoral livelihood zone who rely on it as a main source of income. The countys food insecurity was largely owed to the poor performance of the long rains season, high food commodity prices, the fall army worm infestation and insecurity within the county and along borders with neighbouring counties of Turkana and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties and along migratory routes. With most of the county having received 50-75 percent of normal rainfall punctuated with a late onset and poor temporal distribution, crop and livestock production were significantly affected negatively. The crop production was further affected by the fall army worm out-break that will significantly reduce the projected yields. Insecurity along the borders with neighbouring counties prevented access to pasture in these areas.