Global Report on Food Crises 2022

Global Report on Food Crises 2022 was recently released by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC).

The report is the flagship publication of the GNAFC and is facilitated by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN).

Highlights of the Report:

Some 40 million more people globally experienced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels in 2021 than 2020.
Over half a million Ethiopians, southern Madagascar, South Sudanese and Yemenese are suffering from acute food insecurity.
Over 193 million people in 53 countries or territories experienced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels in 2021.

Reasons behind the crises:

Conflict forced 139 million people in 24 countries / territories into acute food insecurity. This is an increase from 99 million in 23 countries / territories in 2020.
Weather Extremes forced over 23 million people in eight countries / territories into acute food insecurity, up from 15.7 million in 15 countries / territories in 2020.
Over 30 million people in 21 countries / territories suffered acute food insecurity in 2021 due to economic shocks, down from over 40 million people in 17 countries / territories in 2020.

What needs to be done?

Have an integrated approach to prevention, anticipation, and better targeting to sustainably address the root causes of food crises.
Prioritise smallholder agriculture as a frontline humanitarian response, to overcome access constraints and as a solution for reverting negative long-term trends.

What is GNAFC?

It was Founded by the European Union, FAO and WFP in 2016.
It is an alliance of humanitarian and development actors working together to prevent, prepare for and respond to food crises and support the Sustainable Development Goal to End Hunger (SDG 2).

It is a global initiative co-sponsored by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
It seeks to strengthen food and nutrition security information systems for producing reliable and accurate data to guide analysis and decision-making.

What is Acute food insecurity?

Acute food insecurity is when a person’s inability to consume adequate food puts their lives or livelihoods in immediate danger.

It is more severe than / not the same as chronic hunger, as reported each year by the UN’s annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report.

Chronic hunger is when a person is unable to consume enough food over an extended period to maintain a normal, active lifestyle.