FAO Reports 22 Countries Facing Extreme Food Crisis

The International Business Times reports that twenty two countries are under "protracted crisis," a term that UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "denotes to narrate chronic hunger and food insecurity driven by natural disasters, conflict and weak institutions."

FOA published is findings jointly with the World Food Programme (WFP) in the "State of Food Insecurity in the World 2010."  According to FAO, chronic hunger "and food insecurity are the most common characteristics of a protracted crisis.  On average, the proportion of people who are undernourished in countries facing these complex problems is almost three times as high as in other developing countries."

Food assistance when used with other tools such as "cash or vouchers, and support for local purchase of agricultural produce" maximizes "the chance that humanitarian food assistance will serve as a strong basis for achieving food security in the long term."

The FAO and WFP called for a redetermination of "how assistance is delivered to countries in protracted crises" to "refocus attention on longer-term solutions."  This may be done by "aiming to achieve sustained improvements in the productive capacity of vulnerable countries and strengthening their resilience to shocks, [while] continuing to support life saving and livelihoods protection activities."

Other assistance suggested included "stimulating markets through purchase of food aid supplies on local markets or through cash-based schemes."

To read the full FAO and WFP report, click here.
To read the International Business Times story, click here.
To read the FAO story, click here.

Posted: 10/08/2010