Food insecurity has reached a new high in 2021, even before the war in Ukraine has started threatening the global supply of food.
Last year, over 40 million people were affected by food insecurity because of the conflict, the climate crisis and economic fluctuations, the Global Food Crisis Network mentioned in its latest report.
The report mentions that, “Worldwide, levels of hunger remain alarmingly high. In 2021, they beat all earlier records as noted by the Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC), with close to 193 million people acutely food insecure & in need of urgent help around 53 countries/territories.”
“This shows an increase of nearly 40 million people compared to the previous high reached in 2020.”
In 2021, 193 million people in 53 countries faced acute food insecurity, meaning their survival was at stake. Many people suffered from acute malnutrition even with aid, according to 17 actors in the GRFC network, which was established in 2016 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the European Union and NGOs.
“What we are seeing today is unacceptable,” said Qu Dongyu, the Director-General of the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
“We must ensure the sustainability of food systems, especially for the most vulnerable. No one should be left behind. We must address the main causes of the problem, not just the consequences.”
Since 2018, the number of people with food insecurity has continued to rise continuously, according to the FAO, which said the increase is taking place at “an alarming rate.”
Because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the situation in some countries is expected to further deteriorate. Many countries depend heavily on Russian or Ukrainian grain or fertiliser, such as Somalia. The intense drought in the Horn of Africa is also likely to impact food security.