Global food crisis, the number of people facing food insecurity every day has risen to 258 million in 58 countries

ROME – The number of people experiencing acute food insecurity and needing urgent assistance for food, nutrition and livelihoods rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2022, with over a quarter of a billion facing acute hunger and people in seven countries on the brink of starvation, according to the latest Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC). The annual report, produced by Food Security Information Network (FSIN), was launched today by Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) – an international alliance of the United Nations, the European Union, governmental and non-governmental agencies, working together to address food crises.

What the report reveals. The report finds that some 258 million people in 58 countries and territories faced acute food insecurity at crisis levels or worse in 2022, up from 193 million people in 53 countries and territories in 2021. This is the highest number over the seven-year history of the report. However, much of this growth reflects an increase in the population being analysed. In 2022, the severity of acute food insecurity increased to 22.7%, from 21.3% in 2021, but remains unacceptably high and underscores a deteriorating trend in global acute food insecurity.

What is meant by food insecurity. Acute food insecurity is when a person’s inability to consume adequate food puts their life or livelihood in immediate danger. It is based on internationally accepted measures of acute hunger, such as the Integrated Food Security Stage Classification (IPC) and the Cadre Harmonisé (CH). It is not the same as chronic hunger, as reported each year by the United Nations annual report on the state of food security and nutrition in the world (SOFI). Chronic hunger is when a person is unable to consume enough food over an extended period to maintain a normal, active lifestyle.

Hunger for a quarter of a billion people. “More than a quarter of a billion people are facing acute levels of hunger, and some are on the verge of starvation. This is inconceivable,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres wrote in the report’s foreword. “This seventh edition of the Global Food Crises Report is a stinging indictment of humanity’s failure to make progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 to end hunger and achieve food security and better nutrition for everyone”.

The various phases of the crisis. According to the report, more than 40% of the population in the Phase 3 or higher resided in just five countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, parts of Nigeria (21 states and the Federal Capital Territory – FCT), and Yemen. People in seven countries faced hunger and destitution, or catastrophic levels of acute hunger (Stage 5) at some point during 2022. More than half of these were in Somalia (57%), while such extreme circumstances also occurred in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti (for the first time in the country’s history), Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen. About 35 million people have experienced emergency levels of acute hunger (Stage 4) in 39 countries, with more than half of those located in just four countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Yemen.

Conflicts and climatic events. Furthermore, in 30 of the 42 major food crisis contexts analyzed in the report, more than 35 million children under five years of age suffered from wasting or acute malnutrition, with 9.2 million of them experiencing severe wasting, the most dangerous form for lives of undernourishment and a major contributor to rising infant mortality. As conflicts and extreme weather events continue to cause acute food insecurity and malnutrition, the economic fallout from the pandemic and the knock-on effects of war in Ukraine have also become major drivers of hunger, particularly in the world’s poorest countries, mainly due to their high import dependence on food and agricultural inputs and vulnerability to global food price shocks.

Key factors. Economic shocks have overtaken conflict as the main driver of acute food insecurity and malnutrition in several severe food crises. Cumulative global economic shocks, including soaring food prices and severe market disruptions, undermine countries’ resilience and ability to respond to food shocks.

The war in Ukraine. The report’s findings confirm that the impact of the war in Ukraine has negatively impacted global food security due to both Ukraine’s and Russia’s major contributions to global production and trade of fuel, agricultural inputs and essential food commodities, especially wheat, corn and sunflower oil. The war in Ukraine has disrupted agricultural production and trade in the Black Sea region, triggering an unprecedented spike in international food prices in the first half of 2022. While food prices have fallen since then, thanks in part to the grain from the Black Sea and the European Union’s solidarity lanes, the war continues to indirectly affect food security, particularly in low-income countries dependent on food imports, whose fragile economic resilience was already affected by the pandemic.

Breakdown of key factors. Economic shocks (including the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 and the repercussions of the war in Ukraine) have become the main driver in 27 countries with 83.9 million people in the Phase 3 CPI/CH or higher or equivalent – ​​compared to 30.2 million people in 21 countries in 2021. The economic resilience of poor countries has declined sharply over the past three years and they now face long periods of recovery and less ability to cope to future shocks.

A global change, beyond the emergency. The international community has called for a paradigm shift towards better prevention, anticipation and targeting to address the root causes of food crises, rather than responding to their impact when they occur. This requires innovative approaches and more coordinated efforts by international organisations, governments, the private sector, regional organisations, civil society and communities.

More investment in prevention. Activities should focus on more effective humanitarian assistance, including innovative approaches such as preventive actions and impact safety nets. From a development perspective, it is of the utmost importance to increase grassroots investment to address the root causes of food crises and child malnutrition. This involves making agri-food systems more sustainable and more inclusive, including through the use of nature-based solutions, inclusive access to food and better risk mitigation. Greater investment is also needed in the prevention, early detection and treatment of child wasting.

Systemic transformations. “This crisis requires fundamental and systemic change. The report makes clear that progress can be made. We have the data and the know-how to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable world where hunger has no home, including through better food systems. strong and massive investments in food security and improved nutrition for all people, wherever they live,” the UN Secretary-General wrote in the foreword.

A look to the future. Conflicts, national and global economic shocks and extreme weather events continue to be increasingly intertwined, feeding each other and creating a spiraling negative impact on acute food insecurity and nutrition. And there is no indication that these factors will abate in 2023: climate change is expected to lead to further extreme weather, global and national economies face bleak prospects, while conflict and insecurity are likely to persist. According to the 2023 projections available for 38 of the 58 country-territories as of March 2023, up to 153 million people (or 18% of the population analysed) will be in Phase 3 or higher IPC/CH. Additionally, approximately 310,000 people are expected to be in the Stage 5 of the CPI/CH in six countries: Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mali, parts of Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan, almost three quarters of which are in Somalia.

The comment of the NGO involved in this area. World hunger has reached dramatic proportions: Action Against Hunger calls on the global community to take urgent action to meet growing humanitarian needs while addressing the structural causes of food insecurity. “The data in the latest report speak for themselves – says Simone Garroni, director of the NGO – we are in the midst of a global food crisis. For the fourth consecutive year the number of people affected by food insecurity is increasing. In addition to the effects of climate crisis and economic shocks, it is above all wars and conflicts that cause hunger in the world. The international community must act urgently to prevent millions of people from starving”. Next May 24th Action Against Hunger will publish a International file which analyzes the impact of wars and armed conflicts on the world food situation.