Climate change, conflict fuel food insecurity in Eastern Africa

The IGAD Regional Focus of the 2024 Global Report on Food Crises has found that approximately 62.9 million people in Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda are grappling with high levels of acute food insecurity.

The report highlights a persistent, deepening food insecurity crisis impacting the IGAD region for five years. According to experts, there is an urgent need for concerted efforts to address the mounting humanitarian needs.

"These figures illustrate a humanitarian crisis in our region. Climate extremes and economic shocks lead to unprecedented food insecurity, putting millions of lives at risk.

Conflict exacerbates food insecurity, creating a vicious cycle that further destabilises our communities, IGAD's Executive Secretary, H.E. Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu said, pointing out that to make progress, the region must address these interconnected issues by strengthening our collective efforts, building resilience of our communities, and addressing the root causes of conflict to pave the way for long-term stability and development.

The report reveals that in 2024, approximately 62.9 million people, or 25% of the analysed population in seven IGAD countries, will be experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.

"This figure represents an increase from 61.9 million in 2023, emphasising the critical nature of the situation and the necessity for immediate action," IGAD observed, noting that in Sudan, famine is ongoing in Zamzam camp in North Darfur. Another 13 areas are at risk of famine.

The findings also show frequent and severe climate extremes significantly contribute to regional food insecurity.

This includes the lingering effects of a severe drought in the Eastern Horn of Africa from 2020 to 2023 and the recent widespread floods associated with El Niño.

"Furthermore, persistent dry conditions in 2023 and the first half of 2024 have negatively impacted agricultural production in several other areas of the region."

According to IGAD, economic challenges have further exacerbated the food crisis across the region. The IGAD countries have been hit hard by economic shocks, including currency depreciation, soaring inflation, and the volatility of global food markets, which have intensified food insecurity.

Additionally, the displacement crisis in the region has reached unprecedented levels, with 25 million people forcibly displaced by mid-2024, marking the highest displacement figures on record.

This is why the worsening conditions across the IGAD region call for an immediate and coordinated response from partners and member states to address the escalating humanitarian needs and mitigate the impacts of the food insecurity crisis.

"The conflict in Sudan has triggered the world's largest hunger crisis, with more than half the population struggling to put enough food on their plates every day.

Violence and insecurity have driven millions of people to seek refuge both within their own country and in neighbouring countries which are already grappling with high levels of food insecurity and instability, Rukia Yacoub, World Food Programme(WFP)Deputy Regional Director for Eastern Africa, noted adding that this is putting even more pressure on limited humanitarian resources.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa and Representative to the AU and UNECA, Farayi Zimudzi agrees.

 "We are witnessing a fifth consecutive year of worsening food insecurity in the IGAD region. It is evident that a shift is necessary - from reactive emergency responses to a proactive, anticipatory approach that mitigates the impacts of shocks, safeguarding livelihoods and food security.

Furthermore, the subregional coordinator added that the catastrophic impacts of regional conflicts on food security and malnutrition underscore the urgent need for peace-building initiatives and conflict-sensitive programs that protect agricultural production and support rural livelihoods.

In the 2024 edition of the FAO report 'The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World' (SOFI), experts highlight that more than a third of the world's population could not afford a healthy diet last year, while some regions have yet to fully recover from the harms wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statistics show that 64.8 per cent of Africans cannot afford a healthy diet. In Asia, the figure is 35.1 per cent; in Latin America and the Caribbean, 27.7 per cent; in Oceania, 20.1 per cent; and in Northern America and Europe, 4.8 per cent.

FAO explains that food prices increased throughout 2022, pushing up the average cost of a healthy diet. This was largely offset by economic recovery and the ensuing positive income effects.

"As a result, some 35.4 per cent of the global population, equal to 2.826 billion people, could not afford a healthy diet in 2022. That compares to 36.4 percent and 2.823 billion in 2019. However, this recovery to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 was achieved unevenly across regions," the report says.

Maximo Torero, FAO's Chief Economist, disclosed that last year, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet dropped below pre-pandemic levels in upper-middle—and high-income countries. In contrast, low-income countries had the highest levels since 2017."

"The finding highlights""a major structural problem of our agrifood systems"" said David Laborde, Director of FAO's Agrifood Economics and Policy Division.

He noted that this part of the SOFI 2024 report revealed significant variation across and within regions, which in turn points to where national and international attention should be prioritised.