Latest news with #U.N.FoodandAgricultureOrganization
Time of India
17-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Conflict and climate drive record global hunger in 2024, UN says
Rome: Acute food insecurity and child malnutrition rose for a sixth consecutive year in 2024, affecting more than 295 million people across 53 countries and territories, according to a U.N. report released on Friday. That marked a 5 per cent increase on 2023 levels, with 22.6 per cent of populations in worst-hit regions experiencing crisis-level hunger or worse. "The 2025 Global Report on Food Crises paints a staggering picture," said Rein Paulsen, Director of Emergencies and Resilience at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "Conflict, weather extremes and economic shocks are the main drivers, and they often overlap," he added. Looking ahead, the U.N. warned of worsening conditions this year, citing the steepest projected drop in humanitarian food funding since the report's inception -- put at anywhere between 10% to more than 45 per cent. U.S. President Donald Trump has led the way, largely shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides aid to the world's needy, cancelling more than 80 per cent of its humanitarian programs. "Millions of hungry people have lost, or will soon lose, the critical lifeline we provide," warned Cindy McCain, the head of the Rome-based World Food Programme. Conflict was the leading cause of hunger, impacting nearly 140 million people across 20 countries in 2024, including areas facing "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity in Gaza, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali. Sudan has confirmed famine conditions. Economic shocks, such as inflation and currency devaluation, helped push 59.4 million people into food crises in 15 countries -- nearly double the levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic -- including Syria and Yemen. Extreme weather, particularly El Nino-induced droughts and floods, shunted 18 countries into crisis, affecting more than 96 million people, especially in Southern Africa, Southern Asia, and the Horn of Africa. The number of people facing famine-like conditions more than doubled to 1.9 million -- the highest since monitoring for the global report began in 2016. Malnutrition among children reached alarming levels, the report said. Nearly 38 million children under five were acutely malnourished across 26 nutrition crises, including in Sudan, Yemen, Mali and Gaza. Forced displacement also exacerbated hunger. Nearly 95 million forcibly displaced people, including refugees and internally displaced persons, lived in countries facing food crises, such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia. Despite the grim overall trend, 2024 saw some progress. In 15 countries, including Ukraine, Kenya and Guatemala, food insecurity eased due to humanitarian aid , improved harvests, easing inflation and a decline in conflict. To break the cycle of hunger, the report called for investment in local food systems. "Evidence shows that supporting local agriculture can help the most people, with dignity, at lower cost," Paulsen said.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Local farmers devastated after compounding threats destroy fragile harvests: 'It is now uncertain'
Drought-stricken Zimbabwean farmers are facing a second crisis: an outbreak of invasive caterpillars fueled by the same extreme weather. The fall armyworm hatches from moth eggs with a ferocious appetite, devouring young maize plants and burrowing into cobs. The unwelcome guest has decimated Zimbabwe's harvest. Over 80 African countries have had fall armyworm infestations since 2016, reducing maize yields by up to 73% and causing $9.4 billion in annual economic losses, per Context. Farming is the only source of income for many, providing money for food, clothes, and children's education. One farmer, Simon Manguri, told Context his maize harvest would be cut in half because of the outbreak. The timing couldn't be worse. Southern Africa is still recovering from last year's drought. "I thought this year I was going to have a good harvest, but it is now uncertain because of the pests," Abigail Kadirire, a farmer and single mother of six, told Context. The fall armyworm outbreak is a prime example of the havoc invasive species can wreak. The fall armyworm, native to the Americas, first arrived in Central and Western Africa in 2016. In just two years, the prolific caterpillar spread across almost all of sub-Saharan Africa, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. The outbreak shows how the warming climate can exacerbate damage, disrupting food supplies and impacting farmers' livelihoods. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and extreme weather create conditions in which pests can thrive, survive over winters, and expand geographic ranges. For example, corn flea beetles have devastated crops in New England, and erratic weather is to blame for rice shortages in Malaysia. Do you worry about how much food you throw away? Definitely Sometimes Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Climate change has altered migratory patterns, allowing the armyworm to invade new areas more easily, potentially affecting agricultural regions that were previously less affected," Simbarashe Nyamasoka, acting deputy director in the Migratory Pest Control Department, told Context. The Zimbabwe government used social media and radio broadcasts to alert farmers about the fall armyworm outbreak, providing information on control measures. A new mobile app will help monitor future outbreaks and provide early warnings for farmers. Farmers are also exploring traditional practices such as intercropping to avoid the use of chemical pesticides, which can leach into the environment and negatively impact human health. These practices integrate maize with other crops that can help repel armyworms. Drought-resistant crops, natural pesticides, and regenerative techniques have helped control armyworm outbreaks in Ethiopia and other countries. "Adopting climate-smart agricultural practices such as drought-resistant crops, intercropping, and organic composting, promoting practices that enhance soil health and biodiversity ... and combining biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical methods helps manage the pests sustainably," Nyamasoka told Context. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Miami Herald
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Five million Venezuelans don't have enough to eat, United Nations report says
Venezuela boasts of having the largest oil reserves on the planet, and a massive exodus of its people means that there are almost eight million fewer mouths to feed, but still some five million Venezuelans are going hungry in the country, the United Nations says, a number that surpassed only by Brazil and Haiti in the Western Hemisphere. According to the most recent report from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization , hunger afflicts 17.6% of Venezuela's population, a rate that is among the highest in the region. The report, Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2024, identifies Haiti as the country in the region hardest hit by hunger, with a total of 5.8 million people, equivalent to 50% of it's population, not having enough to eat. In the case of Brazil, hunger affects 8.4 million people, but that only represent 3.9% of its population. Venezuela's rate is also surpassed by Bolivia (23%), Honduras (20.4%) and Nicaragua (19.6%), three countries that alongside Haiti have traditionally been considered among the poorest in the region. Venezuela's bout with hunger is striking given that the nation had one of the highest standards of living in the region just a few decades ago thanks to its formerly abundant oil wealth. Just before former president Hugo Chavez launched a socialist revolution in in early 2000s, the country was producing around 3 million barrels per day and it had plans to increase that volume to 5 million to take advantage of its estimated 300 billion barrels in oil reserves to cement its place as one of the worl's largest exporters. Those plans, however, were tossed aside during the early stages of the Bolivarian Socialist Revolution and years of mismanagement and corruption caused production to fall bellow the level of one million barrels per day. More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the South American country to escape the poverty and violence they attribute to the socialist regime in Caracas, and many have ended up seeking refuge in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Chile and the United States.
