Increasing number of people face severe food shortages in South Sudan

Nearly 7 million people in South Sudan could face acute food insecurity at the height of this lean season (May-July), three United Nations agencies warned urging for scaled-up humanitarian assistance and better access to humanitarian relief.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report released in Juba by the Government of South Sudan in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) shows that the number of people who are acutely food insecure has already increased by 13 percent since January last year.

This includes some 30,000 people who are already experiencing extreme food insecurity (in catastrophe phase or IPC5, the highest level of food insecurity) in Jonglei and Lakes states, in eastern and central South Sudan.

The report shows that food insecurity continues to be driven by the cumulative effects of conflict, insufficient food production and associated population displacement. Local cereal production in 2019 will only supply 52 percent of the country’s cereal needs, compared to 61 percent in 2018.

Conflict continues to disrupt food production, deplete livestock and constrain people’s access to alternative food sources. Prolonged dry spells, flooding, crop disease and pest infestation have severely impacted agricultural production which is largely rain-dependent. Poor people have been particularly vulnerable to high food prices and the limited availability of food in markets.

There is an urgent need for more funds to scale up humanitarian assistance to save lives and protect livelihoods. At the current level of assistance, the report indicates, some 50,000 people will be facing catastrophe (extreme food insecurity) between May and July. Without any assistance, this number could rise to 260,000.

“The projections are alarming and food security continues to worsen. Together with the people of South Sudan, we need to act urgently to reverse this trend. Our priority is to support families to maintain and increase their production, and help agro-pastoral communities preserve their livelihoods,” said Pierre Vauthier, the FAO Representative a.i. in South Sudan. “If the peace agreement signed last September is fully sustained, FAO can further support returnees to rebuild their livelihoods and contribute to the recovery of the nation,” he added.

“Sustained humanitarian support is required to address the immediate food assistance needs. It is also critical to support resilience activities to improve livelihoods and to increase families’ ability to cope,” said Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Alain Noudehou. “Full and timely implementation of the peace agreement is therefore essential to allow displaced people – the majority of whom are women and children – to return home and to resume their lives.”

In 2019, FAO aims to provide 800,000 farming, fishing and agro-pastoral households in severely food insecure areas with vegetable and crop seeds, agricultural hand tools and fishing equipment.

To meet the increased needs, WFP will provide the most vulnerable people with a variety of support including life-saving food and cash distributions in areas with working markets; food in return for work on the construction and rehabilitation of community assets; food for school meals; and special products for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition among children, and pregnant or nursing women.

In 2019, UNICEF is targeting more than two million children and their mothers to provide quality nutrition services. UNICEF will provide micronutrient supplements, health and WASH services and counseling on appropriate infant feeding and hygiene practices to prevent acute malnutrition.

Original source: WFP
Published on 22 February 2019