Conflict and political instability continue to take their toll on lives and livelihoods around the world, forcing people to leave their homes, farms, boats and livestock, and push them into extreme poverty and complete dependence on foreign aid. The outbreak of wars in Ukraine and Palestine, the spread of other conflicts, and extreme weather conditions, such as droughts and floods, are factors that have a strong impact on food security, which means the availability of adequate food in socially acceptable ways and all individuals’ access at all times to sufficient amounts of food to ensure an active and healthy life. Growing uncertainty surrounding global food and agricultural markets is causing levels of food insecurity to rise sharply to new highs. At the end of 2023, more than one million people faced the imminent threat of famine. Around the world, 222 million people suffer from acute food insecurity. The Horn of Africa is suffering from an unprecedented drought that the region has not witnessed in 40 years, and it is expected that between 23 and 26 million people will be in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The cost of food has risen steadily since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, with food prices reaching their highest level in ten years before the wars in Ukraine and in Palestine caused further shocks to the entire system. The prices of basic foods have been increasing internationally recently, with serious implications for the purchasing power and access to food of the poorest groups. Domestic food inflation remains high around the world. There was a rise in inflation rates in almost all low- and middle-income countries, reaching levels exceeding 6%. Average prices rose by 20%, and rice prices were higher by 9%. Corn prices were 29% higher than in January 2021, and wheat prices were 15% higher. The countries of Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia were the most affected.
On November 17, 2022, Ukraine and the United Nations announced that the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was scheduled to end on November 19, 2022, would be extended for 120 days. Although the protected corridor has allowed a partial increase in grain shipments from Ukraine, grain exports remain well below their pre-war levels. As transporting grain to ports has become logistically challenging and expensive, many Ukrainian farmers have cut back on crops such as wheat, which they planted after selling last year's crop at a loss. Likewise, the Black Sea Initiative has helped reduce global wheat prices, but the cost of wheat-based staples such as bread and pasta will remain high due to weak local currencies and high energy prices, which affects transportation and packaging.
The pace of increase is expected to slow in the coming months in response to rising global food prices and the depreciation of currencies against the US dollar, which would limit the purchasing power of importing countries and thus reduce the quantities of imported food. The rise in global prices for foodstuffs constitutes the main reason for the increase in the global food import bill, which is represented by high-income countries. Although high-income countries cover most of the global import bill, the rise in prices affects to a greater extent the categories of countries that are vulnerable to economic suffering. A study by the World Trade Organization and the FAO expects that fertilizer shortages will continue until the end of 2023, which will limit agricultural production and increase food insecurity. These effects will be particularly harmful to import-dependent countries, many of which are in Africa.
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine and Palestine, trade-related policies imposed by states escalated. The global food crisis has worsened for several reasons, including the increasing number of restrictions imposed on food trade imposed by countries with the aim of increasing domestic supplies and reducing prices. Rising food prices have caused a global crisis that is pushing millions more into extreme poverty, exacerbating the hunger and malnutrition crisis. Rising food and energy prices due to climate change and conflict have stalled the recovery. The number of people suffering from severe food insecurity and in need of urgent assistance will likely rise to 222 million people in 53 countries and territories. An additional $5 billion to $7 billion will need to be spent to help the most needy families in the 48 most affected countries.
Rome - In 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) seeks US$1.9 billion to save the lives and livelihoods of some of the most acutely food insecure people, as acute food insecurity continues to rise globally. World level.
This announcement was made within the framework of the United Nations' largest humanitarian appeal, directed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, during a special event held in Geneva today.
With less than 4 percent of the US$51.5 billion requested in all appeals available for 2023, FAO can provide urgent livelihood assistance to ensure 48 million people have access to a stable supply of nutritious food. By providing cash assistance, crop and vegetable seeds, livestock fodder, animal health campaigns, and improvements to critical infrastructure, such as irrigation systems and markets, FAO can ensure that families and communities in the most remote and conflict-affected areas are able to feed their people and lay the foundations necessary to withstand future shocks.
In 2022, FAO's emergency support to drought-affected communities in the Horn of Africa protected vital livestock assets, ensuring 4.4 million children had access to milk every day, as well as producing more than 100,000 tonnes of grain and providing cash assistance. For more than 1.5 million people to buy food, access health care and other necessities.
The organization directs its interventions above all towards meeting the needs and priorities of affected communities - the majority of whom are farmers, fishermen, herders and foresters - allowing them to remain in their homes where it is safe to do so, meet their own needs, and take ownership of their future recovery.
Causes of food insecurity
Extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the spread of other conflicts, and the subsequent increased uncertainty in global food and agricultural markets, are causing levels of food insecurity to rise sharply to new highs. At the beginning of 2023, about one million people face the imminent threat of famine. Worldwide, 222 million people suffer from acute food insecurity, with one in five struggling to obtain enough food to survive.
In the Horn of Africa alone, which is suffering from an unprecedented drought that the region has not witnessed in 40 years, between 23 and 26 million people are expected to be in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and acute food insecurity is expected to continue to worsen by February 2023 due to the sixth consecutive season. From the expected and unprecedented drought.
The cost of food has risen steadily since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with international food commodity prices already at a decade-high before the war in Ukraine caused further system-wide shocks. While international staple food prices have been declining recently, consumer prices remain high, with serious implications for the purchasing power and access to food of the poorest.
Conflict and political instability continue to take their toll on lives and livelihoods around the world, forcing people to leave their homes, farms, boats and livestock, and push them into extreme poverty and complete dependence on external assistance.
FAO strengthens its response to crises and emergencies
Throughout 2022, the organization strengthened its efforts to reach out to people in desperate need – helping 30 million people, providing them with urgent support; It focused on rural people and those for whom agriculture represents survival.
In Afghanistan alone, the organization expects to help 9 million people by the end of the year – with nearly half of the rural population suffering from severe food insecurity. About 3.6 million people will benefit from the ongoing distribution of winter wheat, which will be completed by December.
In Somalia, more than $24 million in cash assistance, along with livelihood support assistance, was provided to rural communities most vulnerable to famine, while providing feed, water and basic health treatment to more than 11 million livestock.
In Ukraine, the organization is intensifying its efforts to protect current and future crops and food reserves, in addition to providing emergency agricultural support to farmers, such as potato seeds, vegetable seeds, and cash assistance. The Organization has made available a huge capacity to store up to 6 million tons of grain (about 30 percent of national needs). This assistance is absolutely essential in order to ensure that grains are stored properly, and to enable farmers to sell and export grains when appropriate.
Emergency agriculture remains massively underfunded
Agriculture is a primary humanitarian response and must be viewed as such in all humanitarian appeals. Urgent agricultural interventions, especially when combined with cash and food assistance, have huge impacts on food availability, nutrition and displacement, significantly reducing other humanitarian costs.
For example, at a cost of just US$220, winter wheat bundles distributed in Afghanistan will enable a family to produce enough food to meet their annual grain needs and sell the surplus.
In 2022, the organization received only 43 percent of the funds requested under its humanitarian response plans; However, this masks a huge funding imbalance, as appeals for Afghanistan were fully funded while appeals for Nigeria and the Syrian Arab Republic barely exceeded 10 percent of requirements.
Today's event in Geneva was one of three successive events to provide an overview of global humanitarian work for the year 2023, followed by two events in Addis Ababa in partnership with the African Union, and in Riyadh in partnership with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.
  Image caption: With less than 4 per cent of the US$51.5 billion requested in all appeals available for 2023, FAO can provide urgent livelihood assistance to nearly 50 million of the most vulnerable people.