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FAO and WFP warn of looming widespread food crisis
Conflict , weather extremes , economic shocks , the lingering impacts of COVID-19 , and the ripple effects from the war in Ukraine push millions of people in countries across the world into poverty and hunger .
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations ( FAO ) and the United Nations World Food Programme ( WFP ) have issued a stark warning of multiple , looming food crises , driven by conflict , climate shocks , the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic , and massive public debt burdens - exacerbated by the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine which has pushed food and fuel prices to accelerate in many nations across the globe . These shocks hit in contexts already characterised by rural marginalisation and fragile agrifood systems .
The Hunger Hotspots – FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity report issued at the beginning of June this year calls for urgent humanitarian action in 20 ‘ hunger hotspots ’ where acute hunger is expected to worsen over coming months of the year – to save lives and livelihoods , and prevent famine .
The report warns that the war in Ukraine has exacerbated the already steadily rising food and energy prices worldwide , which are already affecting economic stability across all regions . The effects are expected to be particularly acute where economic instability and spiralling prices combine with drops in food production due to climate shocks such as recurrent droughts or flooding .
“ We are deeply concerned about the combined impacts of overlapping crises jeopardising people ’ s ability to produce and access foods , pushing millions more into extreme levels of acute food insecurity ,” said FAO director-general QU Dongyu . “ We are in a race against time to help farmers in the most affected countries , including by rapidly increasing potential food production and boosting their resilience in the face of challenges .”
“ We ’ re facing a perfect storm that is not just going to hurt the poorest of the poor - it ’ s also going to overwhelm millions of families who until now have just about kept their heads above water ,” warned WFP executive director David Beasley . “ Conditions now are much worse than during the Arab Spring in 2011 and 2007- 2008 food price crisis , when 48 countries were rocked by political unrest , riots and protests . We ’ ve already seen what ’ s happening in Indonesia , Pakistan , Peru , and
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Frequent and recurring climate shocks through extreme weather occurrences continue to decimate farming and livestock , therefore increasing security risk and driving costs up .
Sri Lanka – that ’ s just the tip of the iceberg . We have solutions . But we need to act , and act fast ,” he warned .
REPORT KEY FINDINGS The report finds that – alongside conflict – frequent and recurring climate shocks continue to drive acute hunger and this shows that we have entered a ‘ new normal ’ where droughts , flooding , hurricanes , and cyclones repeatedly decimate farming and livestock rearing , drive population displacement and push millions to the brink in countries across the world .
The report warns that worrisome climatic trends linked to La Niña since late 2020
12 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • September 2022