Over 50 million people may be food insecure in eastern Africa, warns WFP

  • March 17, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Over 50 million people may be food insecure in eastern Africa, warns WFP

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

  • The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a warning about the rapid rise in food insecurity across eastern Africa, affecting potentially 54 million people.

Details:

  • Sudan (17.7 million), Ethiopia (15.8 million), and South Sudan (5.7 million) are the most affected countries.
  • The causes of this crisis include conflict, climatic shocks such as drought and flooding due to erratic rainfall, inflation, disease outbreaks, lack of access to nutritious diets and safe water, and the impacts of climate change leading to violence among smallholder farmers.
  • Key factors for food insecurity:
    • In Sudan, ongoing fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is exacerbating food needs.
    • Ethiopia faces vulnerability to climate-induced shocks, with recent droughts affecting multiple regions. Drought has returned to Tigray, Afar, Amhara, and parts of Oromia, Southern, and Southwest regions, causing severe suffering.
    • South Sudan is experiencing acute food insecurity worsened by the arrival of returnees and refugees from Sudan and Ethiopia.
    • The region is also dealing with a large number of internally and internationally displaced people, totalling approximately 23.4 million, including 5 million refugees and asylum seekers and 18.4 million internally displaced persons.
  • However, the WFP anticipates food insecurity to remain stable into the second quarter of 2024, thanks to improved weather conditions and the effects of the lean season.
  • The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicts positive effects on crop production due to two consecutive wetter-than-normal seasons, which should aid the region’s recovery from the 2020-2023 drought, increase market supply, and lower food prices.
  • Despite these hopeful signs, the northern part of the region is expected to face dry weather conditions, heat stress, and water and pasture deterioration during the March-May period.
  • This will impact livestock body condition, production, and market value, further influencing food security.
  • The WFP recommends ongoing monitoring of food insecurity causes for timely early warning and action.

Source: DTE

IR Over 50 million people may be food insecure in eastern Africa