The number of people affected by acute food insecurity is on the rise and 23 countries will be particularly affected in 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have warned.
In their latest report, the FAO and the WFP point out that 41 million people currently face the threat of famine unless they are provided with food immediately. The figure will add to the 155 million people impacted by acute food insecurity in 2020.
Compared to 2020, the list also now includes Ethiopia and Madagascar. The food crisis in Ethiopia has been triggered mainly by an ongoing armed conflict which has led to a disruption in food production and supply including the limited ability to deliver humanitarian assistance. For its part, Madagascar has been hit by the worst drought in the last 40 years which has caused an increase in food prices in combination with pests affecting staple crop harvests.
The FAO and the WFP have identified that the main cause of the ongoing food crisis in these 23 states is conflict followed by climate change-driven extreme weather events that affect food security by reducing harvests which leads to increased food prices.
The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said: “The vast majority of those on the verge are farmers. Alongside food assistance, we must do all we can to help them resume food production themselves so that families and communities can move back towards self-sufficiency and not just depend on aid to survive.”
The WFP and the FAO have warned that the international community must undertake urgent action to prevent and curb famine which in many hotspots may even lead to death. The UN agencies argue that as well as immediate food assistance, preventive and anticipatory actions also are needed such as the protection of rural livelihoods and farmers who are the main suppliers of food.
