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Info Service on Sustainable Agriculture Penang, 26 Apr (Kanaga Raja) — 281.6 million people or 21.5 percent of the analysed population in 59 countries/ territories faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2023, an increase of nearly 24 million from the previous year, according to the latest Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC). The report, produced by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), said that the rise in acute hunger was due to expanded analysis coverage as well as deteriorating acute food insecurity in some countries/territories, in particular the Gaza Strip and the Sudan, outweighing improvements in others. It said for four consecutive years, the proportion of people facing acute food insecurity has remained persistently high at almost 22 percent of those assessed, significantly exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels. It also said food crises escalated alarmingly in conflict hotspots in 2023 – notably Palestine (Gaza Strip) and the Sudan, with the Gaza Strip becoming the most severe food crisis in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and GRFC history. The report found that the prevalence of high acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above or equivalent) doubled from 11 percent in 48 countries/territories in 2016, to 21.5 percent in 59 countries/territories in 2023. In other findings, the report said the number of forcibly displaced people reached 90 million in the 59 countries/ territories – the highest in eight years of GRFC reporting – showing the high correlation between displacement and acute food insecurity. The Sudan became the world’s biggest internal displacement crisis, it noted. Acute malnutrition among children and women continued to deteriorate, especially in conflict-affected areas, it said. In 2023, over 36 million children under 5 years old were acutely malnourished in 32 food-crisis countries with data, of whom nearly 10 million had severe acute malnutrition. In a foreword to the report, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, said: “In a world of plenty, children are starving to death. War, climate chaos and a cost-of-living crisis – combined with inadequate action – mean that almost 300 million people faced acute food crisis in 2023.” “The number of people on the brink of famine rose to over 700,000 – almost double the number of 2022,” he added. “This crisis demands an urgent response. Using the data in this report to transform food systems and address the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition will be vital,” said the UN chief. OVERVIEW OF FOOD CRISES According to the report, a joint initiative by several UN agencies and their partner organizations, 281.6 million people, or 21.5% of the analysed population, faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 59 countries/territories with data meeting GRFC technical requirements in 2023. The share of analysed population facing high levels of acute food insecurity was marginally lower than in 2022, when it was 22.7 percent. However, the number of people affected increased by 24 million since 2022, marking the fifth consecutive year of rising numbers, said the report. “This year-on-year increase is mainly explained by increased analysis coverage, as well as deterioration in some countries/territories outweighing improvements in others.” The Sudan faced the biggest deterioration due to the devastating impacts of the conflict since April 2023, with an additional 8.6 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity, bringing the total to 20.3 million. It had the highest number of people in the world facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity, the report said. Over 705,000 people in five countries were projected to be in Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) in 2023 – the highest number in GRFC reporting and almost double that of 2022. In this phase of acute food insecurity, people are facing extreme lack of food and exhaustion of coping capacities leading to starvation, acute malnutrition and death. They require urgent action to avoid more widespread extreme outcomes. The report said that around 43,000 people were projected to be in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in South Sudan. It said in Jonglei and Unity states, 43,000 people were estimated to be in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) during the April-July 2023 lean season. For the same lean period of 2024, the number was projected to increase to 79,000, of whom 28,000 were South Sudanese returnees from the Sudan who faced economic destitution. Meanwhile, the report said around 42,700 people were projected to be in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in Burkina Faso. In June-August 2023, around 42,700 people were projected to be in Catastrophe (CH Phase 5) in the regions of Boucle du Mouhoun and, mostly, the Sahel due to the intensity of conflicts that impeded the proper functioning of markets and left populations under siege, severely constraining population movements, access to fields and the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Over 40,300 people were projected to be in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in Somalia, it added. It said over 40,300 people were projected to face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in April-June 2023 among IDPs in Mogadishu, Baidoa and Burhakaba due to the lingering impacts of drought, breakdown of livelihoods, impact of high food prices and protracted conflict. However, the report said this is a significant decrease from 214,000 people in 2022, attributable to the positive impact of the 2023 Gu rains and sustained humanitarian assistance. In the last quarter of 2023, no populations were estimated in IPC Phase 5 despite large numbers remaining in IPC Phase 4. The report said that around 2,500 people were projected to be in Catastrophe (CH Phase 5) in Mali. It said that an estimated 2,500 people were projected to be in Catastrophe (CH Phase 5) over the June-August period in Menaka as conflict impeded agricultural and market activities while also hindering the movement of populations and the delivery of humanitarian aid. About 37 percent of the affected population were IDPs. Over 36 million people in 39 countries/territories experienced Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) in 2023, it added. Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) is an extremely severe situation where urgent action is needed to save lives and livelihoods. Households face large food gaps, which are either reflected in high acute malnutrition levels and excess mortality or mitigated by use of emergency coping strategies, which may entail households selling their last breeding animal or their land or house. The 4 percent increase in the total number of people facing IPC/CH Phase 4 between 2022 and 2023 is largely due to the increase in severity in the Sudan crisis in the midst of deteriorating conflict (with an additional 3.2 million people in this phase). More than a third of the 36.4 million people in IPC/CH Phase 4 were in two countries alone: Afghanistan and the Sudan, said the report. It also said over 165 million people in 41 countries/territories experienced Crisis (IPC/CH Phase 3) in 2023. Populations in Crisis (IPC/CH Phase 3) either face food consumption shortfalls or make the choice to protect food consumption by engaging in coping strategies that will harm their ability to access food and sustain their livelihoods in the future. The report said that at 18 percent, the share of the analysed population in this phase was on a par with 2022. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria each had more than 20 million people in this phase, while Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan and the Sudan each had over 9 million. More than 30 percent of the population of Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Haiti, Lebanon, Madagascar and South Sudan were in IPC Phase 3. The report further said that almost 292 million people in 40 countries experienced Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) in 2023. Populations in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) have minimally adequate diets but resort to coping strategies to afford non-food needs, and they are vulnerable to shocks and require support to reduce risks related to disasters and to protect their livelihoods. The report said thirty-five out of the 40 countries had more than 20 percent of their analysed population in this phase. The prevalence reached 45 percent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Burundi, Liberia and Senegal, the significant increase in the number of people in this phase coincided with a decrease in people in Minimal (IPC/CH Phase 1), suggesting a deterioration in food security. In Eswatini and Namibia, the increase in the number of people in this phase mirrored a decrease in the number of people facing higher levels of acute food insecurity, suggesting an improvement in food security. Of the 59 countries/territories meeting GRFC technical requirements, 44 were identified as major food crises, the report said. Major food crises have more than 1 million people or 20 percent of their total population facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above), an area classified in Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) or above, or were included in the Inter Agency Standing Committee humanitarian system-wide emergency response Level 3. The number of major food crises in the GRFC has almost doubled since the first GRFC edition in 2017, it added. Nineteen countries are classified as protracted major food crises, having been classified as major food crises in all eight editions (of the GRFC). The report said that of these 19, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen have been among the ten largest food crises in terms of numbers of people facing high acute food insecurity in all editions of the GRFC. It said Colombia (residents), Congo (residents), Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal became major food crises for the first time in the GRFC 2024 either because data became newly available (Congo and Colombia residents) or levels of acute food insecurity increased to the extent that they met the inclusion thresholds (Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal). Mauritania and Guinea, which were major food crises in the GRFC 2023, were no longer so in the GRFC 2024 as their situations improved, it added. KEY DRIVERS OF FOOD CRISES Conflict is the major driver and amplifier of high levels of acute food insecurity, directly affecting food access and availability and the ability to cope with other shocks, said the report. Conflict also tends to reverse economic and development gains, limiting communities’ and countries’ capacity to withstand and recover from weather and economic shocks, it added. The report said that in 2023, the global shocks of climate change, continued and residual economic effects of the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic persisted, while the El Nino event and renewed intense conflicts, particularly in Palestine (Gaza Strip) and the Sudan, had national and regional impacts. “Among the 59 GRFC countries/territories with data meeting GRFC technical requirements, conflict/insecurity was the major driver in 20 of them where almost 135 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity.” In total, it said around 621,800 people were projected to face Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) in conflict-affected Palestine (Gaza Strip), Burkina Faso and Mali. Out of the 36 million people in Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) globally, half were in countries where conflict was the primary driver. Conflict/insecurity was considered the secondary driver in nine food-crisis countries and the tertiary driver in six. Around 181.7 million people in 13 of the 20 conflict-affected countries were estimated to be in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2), said the report. Seven of the 20 primarily conflict-driven food crises were in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and six were in West Africa. The report said conflict/insecurity was the major driver in most of the ten largest food crises (by number and/or by share): Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, Nigeria, Palestine (Gaza Strip), the Sudan and Yemen. “Globally, there were 12 percent more conflict events in 2023 than in 2022, and 40 percent more than in 2020.” The report said that the impact of conflict on acute food insecurity intensified since 2022 when 117 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 19 countries/territories where conflict/insecurity was the main driver. It said since 2021, the decrease in the number of countries with conflict as the primary driver can be attributed to a switch in the primary driver from conflict/insecurity to economic shocks in Afghanistan, South Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic though localized insecurity persisted in these countries, and years of conflict have left their economies in tatters and eroded people’s resilience and ability to recover from external shocks. The report said conflict continued to lead to displacement within countries and across borders, affecting not only displaced people but also the communities hosting them. The conflict in the Sudan made it the world’s largest internal displacement situation by the end of 2023, with the number of displaced people continuing to increase rapidly in early 2024. It said limited humanitarian access to conflict hotspots in the country undermined the provision of assistance and support to affected populations. The report further said another 1.5 million people had fled from the Sudan to neighbouring countries, including to parts of Central African Republic, Chad and South Sudan where high levels of acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition were already widespread. The increased influx of refugees and returnees is intensifying competition for already scarce resources, it added. It said in the Syrian Arab Republic, an estimated 6.6 million are internally displaced by the conflict and a further 5.5 million Syrian refugees are in neighbouring Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkiye, where many face high levels of acute food insecurity amid worsening socioeconomic crises and humanitarian funding shortfalls. The report said that climate-related shocks were the main drivers in 18 countries, where almost 72 million people faced high levels of food insecurity. This is an increase from 2022 (12 countries with 56.8 million acutely food insecure people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance). Twelve of these countries are in Africa, with 47.8 million people requiring urgent assistance, and five in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 12.2 million. In Pakistan, 11.8 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity primarily due to weather extremes. Weather extremes were considered the secondary driver in 12 food-crisis countries and the tertiary driver in 15 of them, said the report. It said around 51 million people were in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) in 11 of the 18 countries where weather extremes were the main driver of acute food insecurity, and are thus vulnerable to more severe levels of acute food insecurity if they face another shock. “The El Nino event drove many of the weather extremes seen in 2023, bringing hotter and drier-than-normal conditions across much of East Africa, Central and Southern Africa, and in Latin America and the Caribbean, reaching its peak intensity in late 2023 through mid-2024.” The report said until May 2023, the Horn of Africa experienced below-average rainfall for three consecutive years affecting both long rains and short rains, leading to the worst drought conditions in nearly 40 years, which affected range-land, water resources and in turn crop and livestock production. It said in Central and Southern Africa, 12 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity across seven countries primarily due to the impact of dry conditions on crop production and destruction caused by flooding from cyclone Freddy in March 2023. In February/March 2024, the El Nino-driven drought conditions led Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe to declare national disasters due to the impact on crop production. Meanwhile, in Asia, cyclone Mocha caused widespread destruction of farmlands, impacting over 3 million people in Myanmar alone. The report said in 2023, economic shocks were considered the primary driver in 21 countries where 75.2 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity. Of these, 12.1 million people faced Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) in 15 countries and, in South Sudan, 43,000 people were projected to face Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5). This marks a decrease from 27 countries with 83.9 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity in 2022, although still more than double the numbers in 2019 before COVID-19 instigated major rises in domestic food prices, it added. Economic shocks were considered the secondary driver in 27 countries/territories and the tertiary driver in five. It said that around 59 million people were estimated to be in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) in 16 countries with economic shocks as the primary driver and thus vulnerable to more severe acute food insecurity if they face a shock. In 2023, global economic growth slowed to 3.1 percent from 3.5 percent in 2022, as higher central bank rates set to curb inflation slowed economic activities. Despite tighter monetary policies and lower commodity prices, which helped to rein in the cost-of-living crisis, inflation remained above pre-pandemic levels, the report noted. Not all food-crisis countries/territories benefited equally from lower international commodity prices, it said. For some food-crisis countries that export primary commodities, it has meant lower export revenues, while for most countries that are net-importers of food, higher borrowing costs coupled with further depreciation of domestic currencies increased their debt burdens and raised the domestic cost of imported food and agricultural inputs. “This kept inflation high and added pressure to existing macroeconomic woes created by high exposure to the global shocks posed by COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine.” Out of the 73 countries/territories selected for inclusion as food crises in the GRFC, 48 are net food-importing countries, the report noted. As of February 2024, 58 percent of low-income countries were experiencing inflation higher than 5 percent. The report said that governments continue to have limited budgetary resources to put towards social protection programmes and/or investments in building vulnerable households’ resilience due to already elevated levels of debt that require increased spending on interest rate payments. These pressures contribute to a significant depletion of foreign exchange reserves, making it more difficult to import food and non-food essential items. In many instances, the persistence of high prices of food in domestic markets also reflects high costs and scarcity of labour as well as limited food availability due to weather extremes and/or escalating conflicts, it added. ACUTE MALNUTRITION The report also found that acute malnutrition among children and women in food-crisis countries continued to worsen in 2023, particularly among displaced populations and those affected by conflicts. It said this included a troubling increase in the number of children suffering from the most severe form of acute malnutrition, who are up to 12 times more likely to die than their well-nourished counterparts. Out of 36.4 million children aged under 5 suffering from acute malnutrition in 2023, 9.8 million were severely acutely malnourished and in need of urgent treatment in 32 food-crisis countries. Globally, nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 years old are attributable to malnutrition, it added. It said that the ripple effects of malnutrition extend to diminished immune function, linear growth and cognitive development, with profound impacts for the economic potential of communities and countries. The report said malnourished women are at a higher risk of giving birth to low birth-weight babies, who are more prone to illness, malnutrition and mortality in infancy and early childhood, and may suffer from chronic diseases in later life. The report said that data for pregnant and breastfeeding women in 2023 were available in only 22 out of 59 food- crisis countries/territories, indicating the difficulty of accessing data for these populations. In these countries, about 9.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women were acutely malnourished, it added. This concerning picture for maternal nutrition in food-crisis countries had Democratic Republic of the Congo at the forefront, with 2.2 million women affected. Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, South Sudan and the Sudan each reported between half a million to nearly 1 million cases, reflecting poor maternal diets, high levels of acute food insecurity and protection issues that have a cascading effect on the well-being of mothers and their children, said the report. Among the countries with data for 2023, about 60 percent of the estimated children with acute malnutrition were in the ten food-crisis countries with the largest number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity. The report said these countries experienced significant conflict, either through protracted situations or a notable intensification in 2023, compounded by climate shocks and extreme weather events and high prices of nutritious foods, exacerbating their food and nutrition crises. +
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