The latest annual report of the global response to the food crisis network (gnafc), jointly led by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme and the European Union, released on the 4th showed that the world is facing serious food insecurity, and the number of people who need emergency food aid to make a living continues to grow at an alarming rate. The United Nations News website reported on the 4th that 193 million people in 53 countries and regions around the world experienced food crisis or food insecurity in 2021, an increase of nearly 40 million over 2020, a record high.
Among them, more than 570000 people in Ethiopia, southern Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen are in the stage of the most serious food crisis. Immediate action is needed if they are to avoid economic collapse, hunger and death. "There should be no place for hunger in the 21st century. However, we see too many people [because of the food crisis] unable to embark on the road to prosperity," said European Commission crisis Commissioner Leonard CICI
The report said that addressing the root causes of the food crisis has become more urgent than ever before, and responding only after the crisis can no longer solve the problem. The report believes that this worrying trend is the result of a variety of factors, mainly including conflict, extreme weather and economic crisis. In terms of specific data, 139 million people in 24 countries and regions faced serious food insecurity due to conflict last year, more than 23 million people in 8 countries and regions exacerbated food insecurity due to extreme weather, and more than 30 million people in 21 countries and regions fell into a food crisis due to economic impact.
The report found that the war had serious consequences for global food and nutrition security. Countries with serious hunger problems are particularly vulnerable to the risks of war. Qu Dongyu, director general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, said the negative link between conflict and food insecurity was shocking.
International agencies such as the food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme and the world bank have called for large-scale action to address the root causes of the food crisis in a sustainable manner, including structural rural poverty, marginalization, population growth and fragile food systems, through comprehensive prevention, forecasting and better targeting.