The number of people facing the specter of hunger worldwide has more than doubled

The number of people facing acute food insecurity around the world has more than doubled to 345 million since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, conflict and climate change, the World Food Program (WFP) announced today. .

Before the pandemic crisis, 135 million people were suffering from hunger worldwide, Corinne Fleischer, the WFP’s regional director, told Reuters. Since then, this number has skyrocketed and is expected to rise even more due to climate change and wars.

The impact of environmental challenges is another destabilizing factor that can lead to food shortages, conflict and mass migration.

“People can’t afford this,” Fleischer said. “We see a tenfold increase in displaced people worldwide due to climate change and conflict, and of course these are interrelated. And that’s why we’re really worried about the combined effects of Covid-19, climate change and the war in Ukraine,” he said.

In the Middle East and North Africa, the war in Ukraine has had a huge impact, Fleischer continued, explaining that the region is dependent on food imports. “Yemen imports 90% of its food needs. And 30% of them come from Black Sea countries,” he reminded. WFP supports 13 million of the 16 million people in need of food aid, but the aid it provides only covers half of a person’s daily needs due to a lack of funds. Costs had risen by an average of 45% since the pandemic.

Iraq, for its part, needs about 5.2 million tons of wheat, but produces only 2.3 million tons. The shortage must be covered by imports, but they are expensive. Despite government support, severe drought and water shortages are jeopardizing the well-being of smallholders across Iraq, Fleischer concluded.

RES-EMP

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