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FAO ramps up support to Sudan farmers as starvation threat grows in East Africa |


Food insecurity is increasing in the country, due to the combined effects of armed conflict, drought, COVID-19 pandemic, low yield of staple crops due to pest infestation and economic instability.

The “cascade effects” of the conflict in Ukraine could also worsen the situation.

Satisfy the need

FAO welcomed a $12 million contribution from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for a new project to provide emergency agricultural and livestock supplies to thousands of farming and pastoral communities in 14 of the worst-affected counties.

“This generous contribution from CERF means that FAO can urgently provide essential agricultural inputs to vulnerable farmers before the main crop season begins in June. It will ensure that they can produce enough food to meet their needs in the coming months,” said Babagana Ahmadu, FAO Representative in Sudan.

The project will target 180,000 households, or 900,000 people, among the most vulnerable farming and livestock communities, including internally displaced persons, returnees and people living in poverty. refugee.

Reduce dependence on aid

Since two-thirds of Sudan’s population lives in rural areas, the FAO says providing agricultural assistance to smallholder farmers is essential for humanitarian action.

The project includes both support agriculture and livestockaims to rapidly reduce reliance on emergency food assistance and lay the groundwork for recovery in the medium and long term.

Support includes the provision of seeds, legumes and vegetables, plows and hand tools, vaccines and veterinary drugs, fodder, as well as donkey carts and livestock production.

It also includes cashing out and renovating community assets such as small-scale water infrastructure, grasslands and woodlands, or man-made ponds for rainwater harvesting.

Impact of the war in Ukraine

The situation looks dire for millions of people in Sudan, the FAO said. The war in Ukraine is causing food prices to spike and the country is dependent on wheat imports from the Black Sea region.

Disruption of grain supplies to Sudan will cause harder and more expensive imported wheat, at current local prices per ton, costs 180% higher than in the same period last year.

In addition, high fertilizer prices in the global market will also affect imports and ultimately agricultural production.

While the allocation of CERF is timely and important, FAO added that need $35 million more to ensure adequate support for two million vulnerable farm and pastoral households in Sudan.


Climate shocks and extreme weather are driving mass displacement and humanitarian needs across the Horn of Africa.

© UNFPA Ethiopia / Paula Seijo

Climate shocks and extreme weather are driving mass displacement and humanitarian needs across the Horn of Africa.

Danger of starvation in East Africa

Meanwhile, UN agencies and their partners are calling for rapid scaling up to address the hunger threat lurking in East Africa after four failed rainy seasons.

The drought, which is affecting Somalia, as well as parts of Kenya and Ethiopia, could be the worst in 40 years, and the situation will get worse.

The warning has come statement released on Monday by FAO on behalf of 14 partners, including meteorological agencies and humanitarian organisations.

About 16.7 million people in the region are currently facing severe food insecurity, and the figure is expected to rise to 20 million by September, they said, citing data from a regional platform co-chaired by FAO.

Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization said: “The current drought-causing climate conditions are expected to persist until the end of the year, posing a serious threat to the season. October-December 2022”.WMO).

Destruction and displacement

The rainy season from March to May this year, which appears to be the driest on record, has devastated livelihoods and has resulted in a sharp increase in food, water and nutritional insecurity.

More than a million people have been displaced in Somalia and southern Ethiopia alone, while an estimated 3.6 million cattle have died in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Furthermore, it is estimated that in the worst-affected areas of Somalia, one in three livestock has died since mid-2021.

The partners said the latest long-term seasonal forecasts indicate that there is now a particular risk that the October-December rainy season could also fail.

“If these projections come to fruition, the already dire humanitarian emergency in the region will deepen even further,” they said.





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