FAO humanitarian snapshot: $1 billion needed to assist 24 countries experiencing severe hunger

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations’ (FAO) 2019 Humanitarian Country Appeals Snapshot the number of people experiencing severe hunger is continuing to rise, totally 124 million people across 51 countries.

Of these 124 million, 70 million are in need of immediate food security assistance. The FAO has appealed for over $1 billion to assist 31 million of the most vulnerable people across 24 countries.

The 24 countries are comprised of 12 from Africa, 5 from Asia, 4 from the Middle East, 2 from the Americas and 1 from Europe.

The current global food crisis is being driven by conflict and extreme climate events, often occurring simultaneously they undermine all aspects of food security, including access, availability and utilisation.

Many people around the world been forced to abandon their homes due to climate shocks. This disrupts their livelihoods, reduces access to income and places pressure on limited resources.

If climate shocks, such as droughts, are prolonged they can result in consecutive poor harvests, worsening existing levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. There is a high probability of an El Niño event at the beginning of 2019 which is expected to exacerbate the current situation by further reducing food insecurity and coping capacity of the most vulnerable.

El Niño events usually bring with them heavy rain, flood and drought.

Within the crisis affected population agriculture is a key method of reducing hunger and improving livelihoods. The FAO note that investment in agricultural support from a crises’ onset saves lives and enables vulnerable communities to resume food production and earn an income.

FAO are planning to scale up their response in 2019 to meet the most urgent needs of affected communities whilst improving resilience and adaptation. Addressing resilience and adaptation will address the causes of food insecurity of the most vulnerable and exposed.

The AIDF Global Summit will return to Washington, D.C., USA for its 11th year in 2019.

If you’d like to stay informed on the latest updates in aid and development, please sign up for the AIDF newsletter.

Image credit: FAO