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	Land is a Critical Resource, IPCC report says by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change   Aug. 2019   Land is already under growing human pressure and climate change is adding to these pressures. At the same time, keeping global warming to well below 2C can be achieved only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors including land and food, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in its latest report.   The IPCC, the world body for assessing the state of scientific knowledge related to climate change, its impacts and potential future risks, and possible response options, saw the Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) approved by the world's governments on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland.   It will be a key scientific input into forthcoming climate and environment negotiations, such as the Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (COP14) in New Delhi, India in September and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Santiago, Chile, in December.   'Governments challenged the IPCC to take the first ever comprehensive look at the whole land-climate system. We did this through many contributions from experts and governments worldwide. This is the first time in IPCC report history that a majority of authors - 53% are from developing countries', said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC.   This report shows that better land management can contribute to tackling climate change, but is not the only solution. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors is essential if global warming is to be kept to well below 2C, if not 1.5C.   In 2015, governments backed the Paris Agreement goal of strengthening the global response to climate change by holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C.   Land must remain productive to maintain food security as the population increases and the negative impacts of climate change on vegetation increase. This means there are limits to the contribution of land to addressing climate change, for instance through the cultivation of energy crops and afforestation. It also takes time for trees and soils to store carbon effectively. Bioenergy needs to be carefully managed to avoid risks to food security, biodiversity and land degradation. Desirable outcomes will depend on locally appropriate policies and governance systems.   Land is a critical resource   Climate Change and Land finds that the world is best placed to tackle climate change when there is an overall focus on sustainability.'Land plays an important role in the climate system', said Jim Skea, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III. 'Agriculture, forestry and other types of land use account for 23% of human greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time natural land processes absorb carbon dioxide equivalent to almost a third of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry', he said.   The report shows how managing land resources sustainably can help address climate change.   Land already in use could feed the world in a changing climate and provide biomass for renewable energy, but early, far-reaching action across several areas is required. Also for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity.   'Desertification and land degradationWhen land is degraded, it becomes less productive, restricting what can be grown and reducing the soil's ability to absorb carbon. This exacerbates climate change, while climate change in turn exacerbates land degradation in many different ways. The choices we make about sustainable land management can help reduce and in some cases reverse these adverse impacts', said Kiyoto Tanabe, Co-Chair of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.   'In a future with more intensive rainfall the risk of soil erosion on croplands increases, and sustainable land management is a way to protect communities from the detrimental impacts of this soil erosion and landslides. However there are limits to what can be done, so in other cases degradation might be irreversible', he said.   Roughly 500 million people live in areas that experience desertification. Drylands and areas that experience desertification are also more vulnerable to climate change and extreme events including drought, heatwaves, and dust storms, with an increasing global population providing further pressure.   The report sets out options to tackle land degradation, and prevent or adapt to further climate change. It also examines potential impacts from different levels of global warming.   New knowledge shows an increase in risks from dryland water scarcity, fire damage, permafrost degradation and food system instability, even for global warming of around 1.5C. Very high risks related to permafrost degradation and food system instability are identified at 2C of global warming.   Coordinated action to address climate change can simultaneously improve land, food security and nutrition, and help to end hunger.   The report highlights that climate change is affecting all four pillars of food security: availability (yield and production), access (prices and ability to obtain food), utilization (nutrition and cooking), and stability (disruptions to availability).   'Food security will be increasingly affected by future climate change through yield declines - especially in the tropics, increased prices, reduced nutrient quality, and supply chain disruptions', said Priyadarshi Shukla, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III.   'We will see different effects in different countries, but there will be more drastic impacts on low-income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean', he said.   The report records that about one third of food produced is lost or wasted. Causes of food loss and waste differ substantially between developed and developing countries, as well as between regions. Reducing this loss and waste would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve food security.   'Some dietary choices require more land and water, and cause more emissions of heat-trapping gases than others', said Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II.   'Balanced diets featuring plant-based foods, such as coarse grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and animal-sourced food produced sustainably in low greenhouse gas emission systems, present major opportunities for adaptation to and limiting climate change', she said.   The report finds that there are ways to manage risks and reduce vulnerabilities in land and the food system.   Risk management can enhance communities resilience to extreme events, which has an impact on food systems.. This can be the result of dietary changes or ensuring a variety of crops to prevent further land degradation and increase resilience to extreme or varying weather.   Reducing inequalities, improving incomes, and ensuring equitable access to food so that some regions (where land cannot provide adequate food) are not disadvantaged, are other ways to adapt to the negative effects of climate change. There are also methods to manage and share risks, some of which are already available, such as early warning systems.   An overall focus on sustainability coupled with early action offers the best chances to tackle climate change. This would entail low population growth and reduced inequalities, improved nutrition and lower food waste.   This could enable a more resilient food system and make more land available for bioenergy, while still protecting forests and natural ecosystems. However, without early action in these areas, more land would be required for bioenergy, leading to challenging decisions about future land-use and food security.   'Policies that support sustainable land management, ensure the supply of food for vulnerable populations, and keep carbon in the ground while reducing greenhouse gas emissions are important', said Eduardo Calvo, Co-Chair of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.   Land and climate change responses   Policies that are outside the land and energy domains, such as on transport and environment , can also make a critical difference to tackling climate change. Acting early is more cost-effective as it avoids losses.   'There are things we are already doing. We are using technologies and good practices, but they do need to be scaled up and used in other suitable places that they are not being used in now', said Panmao Zhai, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I.   'There is real potential here through more sustainable land use, reducing over-consumption and waste of food, eliminating the clearing and burning of forests, preventing over-harvesting of fuelwood, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, thus helping to address land related climate change issues', he said.   * Access the report via the link below: http://bit.ly/2YQ0MG9   Aug. 2019   Climate crisis reducing land's ability to sustain humanity, says IPCC - ecosystems never before under such threat and restoration is urgent. (Guardian News)   The climate crisis is damaging the ability of the land to sustain humanity, with cascading risks becoming increasingly severe as global temperatures rise, according to a landmark UN report compiled by some of the world's top scientists.   Global heating is increasing droughts, soil erosion and wildfires while diminishing crop yields in the tropics and thawing permafrost near the poles, says the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.   Further heating will lead to unprecedented climate conditions at lower latitudes, with potential growth in hunger, migration and conflict and increased damage to the great northern forests.   The report, approved by the world's governments, makes clear that humanity faces a stark choice between a vicious or virtuous circle. Continued destruction of forests and huge emissions from cattle and other intensive farming practices will intensify the climate crisis, making the impacts on land still worse.   However, action now to allow soils and forests to regenerate and store carbon, and to cut meat consumption by people and food waste, could play a big role in tackling the climate crisis, the report says.   Such moves would also improve human health, reduce poverty and tackle the huge losses of wildlife across the globe, the IPCC says.   Burning of fossil fuels should end as well to avoid 'irreversible loss in land ecosystem services required for food, health and habitable settlement', the report says.   'This is a perfect storm', said Dave Reay, a professor at the University of Edinburgh who was an expert reviewer for the IPCC report. 'Limited land, an expanding human population, and all wrapped in a suffocating blanket of climate emergency. Earth has never felt smaller, its natural ecosystems never under such direct threat'.   Piers Forster, a professor at the University of Leeds, said: 'This important report shows we need to substantially change the way we use our land to limit temperature change below 1.5C. In a nutshell we need less pasture [for livestock] and more trees'. The land-use advice was contained in an IPCC report in October.   Prof Jim Skea, from the IPPC, said the land was already struggling and climate change was adding to its burdens. Almost three-quarters of ice-free land was now directly affected by human activity, the report says.   Poor land use is also behind almost a quarter of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions - the destruction of forests, huge cattle herds and overuse of chemical fertilisers being key factors.   Emissions relating to fertilisers have risen ninefold since the early 1960s. Rising temperatures are causing deserts to spread, particularly in Asia and Africa, and the Americas and Mediterranean are at risk, the report says.   One of the most stark conclusions in the IPCC report is that soil, upon which humanity is entirely dependent, is being lost more than 100 times faster than it is being formed in ploughed areas; and lost 10 to 20 times faster even on fields that are not tilled.   The report recommends strong action from governments and business, including ending deforestation and enabling new forests to grow, reforming farming subsidies, supporting small farmers and breeding more resilient crops. Many of those solutions, however, would take decades to have an impact, the IPCC says.   Consumers in rich nations could act immediately by reducing their consumption of intensively produced meat and dairy foods, products that have a huge environmental impact.   'There is much more we could do in that space that we are not doing, partly because it is difficult', said Pete Smith, a professor at the University of Aberdeen and a senior IPCC author. 'You wouldn't want to tell people what to eat, that would go down badly. But you could incentivise'.   The IPCC report suggests factoring environmental costs into food. Previous studies have suggested meat taxes, or subsidised fruit and vegetables. Meat production ties up most farmland and cutting consumption could release millions of square kilometres for forestry or bioenergy crops, the report says, as could cutting food waste.   Caterina Brandmayr, of the Green Alliance thinktank, said: 'The key message from the IPCC is urgency: we need to act now to plant new forests, restore our ecosystems, and, yes, to eat less meat'.   David Viner, a professor at the University of East Anglia and a senior IPCC author, said: 'Land is a vital resource and we have to look after it if we are going to have a sustainable future'.   http://bit.ly/31p3Kze http://news.un.org/en/story/2019/08/1043921 http://www.iied.org/climate-justice-ipcc-special-report-land Visit the related web page
	Drought in Africa leaves 45 million in need across 14 countries by Famine Early Warning System Network, agencies   Oct. 2019 (World Food Programme)   A record 45 million people in the 16-nation South African Development Community (SADC) face severe food insecurity in the next six months. Persistent drought, back-to-back cyclones and flooding have wreaked havoc on harvests in a region overly dependent on rain-fed, smallholder agriculture.   With temperatures rising at twice the global average and designated a climate hotspot by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Southern Africa has experienced normal rainfall in just one of the last five growing seasons.   In late 2018 and early 2019 many western and central areas experienced the driest growing season in a generation, precipitating widespread crop failure in Zimbabwe, northern Namibia and southern parts of Angola, Botswana and Zambia.   Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, in March and April this year, were the strongest on record to strike Africa, and obliged Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Comoros to declare national emergencies.   The hunger crisis, afflicting urban as well as rural communities, is being aggravated by rising food prices, large-scale livestock losses and mounting joblessness. It is also deepening acute malnutrition in particularly vulnerable communities.   There are 9.2 million people now experiencing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC Phases 3 and 4) in eight Southern African countries identified by WFP for urgent lean season assistance. The number is projected to rise to 13 million early next year unless timely assistance is provided.   WFP is working to step up both emergency assistance to those most in need and interventions to help vulnerable communities withstand increasingly frequent and intense climate shocks. The priority countries are: Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Eswatini and Lesotho.   Multi-year funding is crucial to enabling vulnerable communities to withstand climate shocks. US$ 260 million is needed to meet urgent food needs.   http://reliefweb.int/report/angola/climate-shocks-intensify-un-food-agencies-urge-more-support-southern-africa-s-hungry http://reliefweb.int/report/world/more-52-million-people-across-africa-going-hungry-weather-extremes-hit-continent-enar http://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/tackling-southern-africa-s-climate-driven-food-crisis-9-october-2019   Oct. 2019   Zambia Humanitarian Response Plan, October 2019 - March 2020 (OHCA)   More than 2.4 million people are expected to be severely food insecure during the lean season (October - March), with at least 430,000 of them in Emergency levels (IPC 4), according to the last Zambia Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZVAC)/IPC report.   The devastating combination of prolonged and severe drought in the southern part of the country over the last two rainy seasons and floods in the north has driven increasing hunger. According to the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD), 2018-2019 rainfall season was one of the poorest the southern half of Zambia has faced since 1981, negatively impacting crop production and consequently food availability and food access. A total of 58 districts registered a huge decline in maize production, the main staple food. Food insecurity is expected to worsen in 58 drought-affected districts in the southern and western parts of the country.   The 2019 Vulnerability Assessment has revealed an increase in severe acute malnutrition levels. Acute malnutrition (wasting) has a prevalence of nearly 6 per cent across the nine provinces of Zambia. Out of the 87 districts assessed, 24 indicated prevalence of wasting above the national prevalence of 4 per cent. http://bit.ly/32Xfg63   Aug. 2019   East Africa Food Security Outlook, June 2019 to January 2020. (FEWS-Net)   An estimated 43 million people affected by drought, conflict, and macroeconomic shocks are expected to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse outcomes across Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Yemen, South Sudan, Sudan, Kenya, and Burundi. These populations in need require urgent humanitarian food assistance to mitigate deterioration in food security outcomes in the outlook period. This figure includes an estimated 11.4 million internally displaced people and 4.3 million refugees throughout the region, many of whom are also expected to be in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse outcomes.   An estimated 6.96 million people in South Sudan and 17 million people in Yemen are facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse outcomes in the presence of planned humanitarian food assistance. This includes some households in Jonglei and Upper Nile of South Sudan that are likely in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5).   Although food assistance is mitigating more extreme outcomes, the reach of assistance remains below the estimated need and access to populations in need remains a significant concern. In South Sudan, the risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) will persist through January 2020 despite an anticipated increase in 2019/20 crop production compared to 2018/19, given existing high levels of acute food insecurity and the potential for conflict to quickly shift and restrict household movement and humanitarian access.   In Yemen, Famine (IPC Phase 5) would be likely in a worst-case scenario where commercial imports significantly decline far below requirement levels or conflict cuts off populations from trade for a prolonged period.   In the Horn of Africa, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse outcomes are anticipated through January 2020 due to drought and two consecutive poor production seasons in 2018/19, though some improvements will likely be realized during the October-December 2019 rainy season.   In Somalia, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes are expected in central and northern pastoral areas and several northern and southern agropastoral areas.   In Ethiopia, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) is expected in the lowlands of Oromia, northeastern Afar, northeastern Amhara, and the Somali region. A likely safety net pipeline break in the worst-affected areas of Ethiopia would also result in an increase in the number of households in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), elevating the already high prevalence of acute malnutrition.   In Kenya, outcomes are expected to improve from Crisis (IPC Phase 3) to Stressed (IPC Phase 2) in late 2019, but some poor households may remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).   Among populations displaced by conflict and civil unrest in Ethiopia and Sudan, food gaps indicative of Crisis (IPC Phase 3) are likely to persist throughout the outlook period and some households may deteriorate to Emergency (ICP Phase 4) in the ongoing lean season. About one million people remain displaced in Benishangul Gumuz, Oromia, SNNPR, and Somali regions of Ethiopia.   In Sudan, 2.0-2.6 million people are displaced, including protracted internally displaced persons (IDPs) in SPLM-N-controlled areas of South Kordofan and SPLA-AW-controlled areas of Jebel Marra in Darfur States of Sudan. Conflict-displaced households have lost access to typical livelihoods while population movements, trade flows, and access to humanitarian assistance are restricted.   http://fews.net/east-africa/food-security-outlook/july-2019 http://fews.net/east-africa/yemen/alert/july-24-2019 http://fews.net/global/food-assistance-outlook-brief/august-2019 http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/drought-and-conflict-leave-87-million-people-hungry-somalia-and-south-sudan http://bit.ly/2YgCxSe http://www.fao.org/giews/country-analysis/external-assistance/en/   June 2019   Drought in Africa leaves 45 million in need across 14 countries. (New Humanitarian)   Failed rains across eastern Africa, southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa are seeing another dire season for farmers, increasing food prices and driving up the aid needs of tens of millions of already vulnerable people across the three regions.   All told, more than 45 million people will struggle to find enough food across 14 countries in 2019, many feeling the compounded effects of years of drought.   It's the second time in three years that an El Nino event has disrupted weather patterns. In 2017 - a year in which the UN labelled the crisis the worst in decades - some 38 million people were in need.   Drought again in 2018 was followed by significantly below-average rains at the beginning of this year, down by 50 percent in parts of southern Africa.   In the Horn and eastern Africa, delayed rains finally arrived in May, allowing some regrowth of pasture for grazing. But it has not been enough to offset the damage to people's livelihoods and overall food security.   'We need to move to a system where we act much earlier on the warning signs of drought and hunger so that we can cut response times and costs, and reduce deaths and human suffering', the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, said in reference to the drought in the Horn.   The UN's Central Emergency Response Fund has released $45 million to encourage major donors to do more to combat the effects of drought in parts of Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.   With an El Nino forecast more than six months ago, World Food Programme climatologist Jesse Mason argues there should have been time for governments and aid agencies to put in place risk-reduction measures: drought-resistant seeds, irrigation systems, and cash transfers to cushion the impact on farmers.   It can no longer be business as usual, Mason told The New Humanitarian. Southern and eastern Africa are on the front lines of climate change, and mitigation measures must now be much more data-driven, comprehensive, and innovative.   'We need to recognise the seasons are changing and we need to adapt', said Mason, project manager at WFP's forecast-based financing initiative. 'The pieces need to come together, from the global forecasting to the way we interact with farmers on the ground based on that information'.   The following is a snapshot of needs across southern, eastern, and the Horn of Africa.   Angola - In need: 2.3 million   The government declared an emergency in the three southern provinces of Cunene, Huila, and Namibe in January. Angola has been pursuing a humanitarian self-reliance policy but the response has been inadequate and the situation is deteriorating.   Ethiopia - In need: 8.3 million   The most vulnerable communities have suffered consecutive years of drought. This season's Gu long rains (March to May) were poor or delayed. Although a late burst of rainfall has helped replenish pasture in the south and southeast, it came too late for some crop-producing areas and the food security situation is expected to deteriorate.   Numbers in need are exacerbated by mass internal displacement as a result of inter-communal violence affecting some 2.6 million. Concerns are also rising over potential food aid pipeline breaks that could interrupt life-saving operations. It's $1.3 billion aid appeal is only 15 percent funded.   Kenya - In need: 2.5 million   The long rains were similarly poor, less than half the expected amount fell by April. By July the number of severely food insecure is projected to more than double from the current 1.1 million to 2.5 million. Below-average terms of trade and reduced household incomes during the July to September dry season could push parts of eastern Kenya into crisis by August.   Lesotho - In need: 640,000   Four districts are at crisis or emergency levels. A total of 640,000 people are projected to be food insecure over the next 12 months. Lesotho has a population of 2.2 million.   Madagascar - In need: 1.3 million   By March, 1.3 million people were severely food insecure. Although the vulnerable southern region received fair rainfall this season, the harvest is forecast to be well below average. The south is yet to recover from the effects of the 2015/16 El Nino and the 2017/18 drought, and the number of children who are acutely malnourished is expected to rise in 2019.   Malawi - In need: 3.3 million   Some 2.8 million people are projected to be in crisis and 450,000 at emergency levels of food needs during the October to March lean season in the country's southern and central districts.   Mozambique - In need: 1.85 million   More than 1.7 million people were identified as in crisis between September and December 2018 across 11 provinces. As a result of Cyclone Idai in March and Cyclone Kenneth in April, an estimated 1.85 million are now in need of aid.   Namibia - In need: 550,000   At the beginning of May the government declared a drought-induced state of emergency - the third time in six years. All regions of the country are affected, with 24 percent of the 2.3 million population facing food shortfalls.   Somalia - In need: 5.4 million   After two consecutive poor rainy seasons Somalia is facing yet another drought. The 2019 Gu rains (April to June) have failed, on top of a poor 2018 Deyr season (October to December), contributing to widespread crop failure and lower livestock productivity.   Pastoral communities in the worst-affected areas - in the north and centre of the country - are facing acute food insecurity. Drought-related displacement is underway and malnutrition rates are rising. Food aid levels have 'significantly declined' compared with last year. A $700 million drought response plan has been launched.   South Sudan - In need: 7.1 million   Conflict and drought has created a disastrous situation. Some 6.9 million people - close to 60 percent of the population - are currently facing severe food insecurity.   In many areas, malnutrition levels remain critical, with some 860,000 children under the age of five estimated to be severely malnourished. Out of the overall 7.1 million people in need, only 5.7 million are targeted for aid. The aid appeal stands at $1.5 billion, but so far only $346 million has been received.   Sudan - In need: 5.6 million   Around one million people are facing emergency conditions, concentrated in the states of Khartoum and South Darfur. The Darfur region accounts for 45 percent of all Sudanese in need (crisis and emergency levels).   Sudan's crisis is less weather-related and more a consequence of food price rises. Overall, prices of grains were at record or near-record levels in March despite an above-average 2018 harvest.   The depreciation of the local currency, fuel shortages and input costs combined to push up the cost of living - one of the triggers for the protests that led to the toppling of former president Omar al-Bashir in April.   Uganda - In need: Unknown   The arid Karamoja region - bordering Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Ethiopia has been hit by a second failed rainy season. Numbers in need are not yet known, but staple food prices are expected to remain high through to September, well above the five-year average.   Zambia - In need: 1.3 million   Maize producing areas in the south experienced their worst drought since 1981. Maize production is estimated to have dropped to two million tonnes from approximately 2.4 million tonnes last season and exports have been banned, which will impact prices in the region. The projected number of households needing food aid from July to February 2020 is 220,000, a 38 percent increase from last season.   Zimbabwe - In need: 5.3 million   Total cereal production this season was estimated at 852,000 tonnes, against a national requirement of 1.8 million tonnes for human consumption and 450,000 tonnes for livestock. Compared to the 2017/18 season, the provinces of Manicaland, Matabeleland South, and Matabeleland North all saw their maize production drop by more than 70 percent. Climate shocks have compounded severe economic difficulties. By September, most of the country is expected to be in crisis.   http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2019/06/10/drought-africa-2019-45-million-in-need http://www.unocha.org/story/cerf-allocates-us45m-stave-famine-risk-horn-africa http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/story/drought-east-africa-fuels-worsening-hunger-crisis http://www.acaps.org/special-report/horn-africa-drought http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/international-complacency-puts-lives-risk-drought-hits-horn-africa-oxfam http://bit.ly/2KoKU6S http://bit.ly/2WN7Aj7 http://reliefweb.int/report/mozambique/food-security-southern-africa-end-season-update-201819-and-overview-food-security   April 2019   FEWS Net: East Africa: Humanitarian food assistance needs remain high, primarily driven by conflict & drought   Food insecurity is likely to remain elevated through September, driven by a conflict, drought, macroeconomic shocks, and inflationary pressures. 42.4 million people in Yemen, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda's Karamoja sub-region are in Crisis (Phase 3) or worse.   Urgent humanitarian food assistance is required to mitigate widening food gaps and accelerated depletion of livelihood assets.   In addition, an estimated 12 million internally displaced people in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, and Yemen, coupled with an estimated 5.3 million refugees hosted by Burundi, the DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania, are experiencing Stressed (IPC Phase 2) or Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes.   A risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) persists in Yemen and South Sudan. Conflict, the primary driver of acute food insecurity, has displaced or disrupted the livelihoods of up to 23 million people, who are currently in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse.   Most households are unable to access normal livelihood strategies, while access to commodity and labor markets and access to humanitarian assistance are constrained.   Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) outcomes are already likely among populations in Canal/Pigi and Pibor in Jonglei, Panyikang in Upper Nile, and Cueibet in Lakes of South Sudan.   In Yemen, Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes continue in Hajjah and Sa'ada governorates, where households are facing large food gaps and/or extreme depletion of livelihood assets.   WFP reports four districts (Haradh, Mustaba, Midi, and Hayran) of Hajjah remain inaccessible for delivery of humanitarian assistance due to increased conflict.   Delayed or below-average rainfall at the onset of the March to May rainfall season in the greater Horn of Africa has caused considerable concern for a consecutive poor production season.   According to satellite-derived data, cumulative rainfall is significantly below-average in northern, southern, and eastern Kenya, southern and central Somalia, and southern and eastern Ethiopia. Resurgence of rainfall in late April is likely to partially recharge surface water sources and partially regenerate pasture and browse, providing some relief for pastoral livelihoods.   However, crop production is expected to be below average in many agropastoral and marginal agricultural areas, and near total crop failure would be likely if rainfall is below-average in May and/or ceases by mid-May. An increase in the Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse population is expected through September.   Areas affected by conflict and social unrest in Ethiopia and Sudan are likely to remain in Crisis (IPC Phase) or deteriorate to worse outcomes through late 2019.   Conflict-displaced households in Oromia and SNNPR regions of Ethiopia missed the agricultural season and access to humanitarian assistance is restricted. Rising inflationary pressures coupled with constrained domestic grain supply is likely to narrow household food access, widening consumption gaps.   In Sudan, the change in government leadership and related social unrest are likely to disrupt livelihoods and increase macroeconomic instability. This would limit access to normal sources of food and income, especially from May onward, which coincides with the lean season.   In addition, Emergency (IPC Phase 4) is likely among IDPs in SPLM-N controlled areas in South Kordofan and in Jebel Mara in Darfur.   http://fews.net/east-africa/key-message-update/april-2019 http://bit.ly/2HpeXco http://bit.ly/31r09BI   Apr. 2019   Global Report on Food Crises: Acute hunger still affecting 113 million people in 53 countries who experienced high levels of food insecurity in the world's most severe food crises in 2018. (FAO, WFP, EU, IPC, agencies)   A report presented today jointly by the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) finds that around 113 million people in 53 countries experienced acute food insecurity in 2018, compared to 124 million in 2017.   Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica said, "Food insecurity remains a global challenge. Today's Global Report highlights the need for a strengthened cooperation between humanitarian, development and peace actors to reverse and prevent food crises. A stronger Global Network can help deliver change on the ground for the people who really need it."   Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, said "Food crises continue to be a global challenge, which requires our joint efforts. Food crises are becoming more acute and complex and we need innovative ways to tackle and prevent them from happening. The Global Report provides a basis to formulate the next steps of the Global Network by improving our coordination mechanisms."   Key findings:   The figure of 113 million people facing food crises is down slightly from the 124 million figure for 2017. However,the number of people in the world facing food crises has remained well over 100 million in the last three years, and the number of countries affected has risen. Moreover, an additional 143 million people in another 42 countries are just one step away from facing acute hunger.   Nearly two-thirds of those facing acute hunger are in just 8 countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. In 17 countries, acute hunger either remained the same or increased.   Climate and natural disasters pushed another 29 million people into acute food insecurity in 2018. And 13 countries - including North Korea and Venezuela - are not in the analysis because of data gaps.   "It is clear from the Global Report that despite a slight drop in 2018 in the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity - the most extreme form of hunger - the figure is still far too high. We must act at scale across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to build the resilience of affected and vulnerable populations. To save lives, we also have to save livelihoods," said FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva.   "To truly end hunger, we must attack the root causes: conflict, instability, the impact of climate shocks. Boys and girls need to be well-nourished and educated, women need to be truly empowered, rural infrastructure must be strengthened in order to meet that Zero Hunger goal. Programmes that make a community resilient and more stable will also reduce the number of hungry people. And one thing we need world leaders to do as well: step up to the plate and help solve these conflicts, right now," said WFP Executive Director David Beasley.   The report's findings are a powerful call for strengthened cooperation that links together prevention, preparedness and response to address urgent humanitarian needs and root causes, which include climate change, economic shocks, conflict and displacement. It further highlights the need for a unified approach and action across the humanitarian and development dimensions of food crises, and for more investment in conflict mitigation and sustainable peace.   * Acute food insecurity is when a person's inability to consume adequate food puts their lives or livelihoods in immediate danger. It draws on internationally accepted measures of extreme hunger, such as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).   Chronic hunger is when a person is unable to consume enough food to maintain a normal, active lifestyle over an extended period. The FAO's most recent State of Food Security and Nutrition report, in September 2018, found that 821 million people on the planet are going hungry.   http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/ http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1187744/icode/ http://www.fsinplatform.org/global-report-food-crises-2019 http://www.ipcinfo.org/   * Access the full report (200pp): http://bit.ly/2uHg67x   * Ongoing conflicts remain the primary driver of high levels of severe food insecurity in many countries (FAO July 2019 update): http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca5327en http://www.fao.org/giews/country-analysis/external-assistance/en/ http://undocs.org/en/S/2019/699 Visit the related web page
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