More than 34 million people in the world are "one step away" from hunger
"We call this kind of soil the living soil, because it can make the sour taste of tamarind permeate our mouths, making us less hungry." Dodiva, a 35-year-old farmer in the arid region of southern Madagascar, once told the media. Say.
This piece of land, which relies on clay to calm hunger pangs, even the cacti stopped producing fruit after it had not rained for more than a year.
No one knows when we can get rid of the famine.
Today, on the map of the earth, there are more than 20 countries and regions shrouded in hunger like Madagascar.
On March 23, local time, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Program jointly released a report called "Hunger Outbreak", stating that if a larger-scale assistance action cannot be taken immediately, the Severe hunger and the risk of famine will further intensify in the coming months.
Among them, South Sudan, Yemen and northern Nigeria are the most serious.
The report estimates that more than 7 million people in South Sudan will fall into severe hunger and food insecurity, an increase of more than 700,000 over the same period last year.
In parts of the country’s Jonglei state, the famine has started in October last year and is expected to last until the end of the poor harvest season in July this year.
In Yemen, continued violent conflict, large-scale displacement, severe malnutrition, deteriorating economic situation, and hindered humanitarian assistance are increasing the risk of famine.
The report predicts that by June this year, more than 16 million people across Yemen will face severe food insecurity, an increase of about 3 million from the end of last year.
In Yemen’s Jof, Amran and Hajj provinces, the number of people facing “catastrophic” food insecurity by June this year will reach 47,000.
At the end of last year, this number was still 16,000, which has nearly tripled.
Northern Nigeria is also suffering from conflict.
The report predicts that during the poor harvest season from June to August this year, more than 1.2 million people in the region will suffer severe food insecurity, which is double the same period last year.
In the next six months, the level of food and nutritional insecurity in the region will rise significantly. If the scale of food and assistance cannot be expanded in time, nearly 13 million people will be affected.
In addition, the major "hunger outbreak" countries listed in the report also include Burkina Faso, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Sudan, and Syria.
The report pointed out that conflicts and epidemics are important reasons for increasing hunger.
At present, armed conflicts and other forms of violence that have caused hunger in many parts of the world have not seen signs of easing, and in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, central Sahel, Ethiopia, northern Nigeria, northern Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan is likely to further intensify. Humanitarian aid work in some countries is increasingly restricted, and the famine has worsened.
In addition, the new crown epidemic has severely impacted the economies of many countries around the world, exacerbating poverty and food insecurity.
Among them, the economic recession in Latin America is more serious and the recovery speed is relatively slow, while Yemen, Syria and Lebanon in the Middle East are severely affected by rapid currency depreciation and large-scale inflation.
The "Hunger Burst" report also stated that extreme climates, including the La Niña phenomenon that caused the East Pacific to cool and global climate chaos, are expected to continue between April and May this year, which will further aggravate the situation in Afghanistan, Madagascar, and the Horn of Africa. Hunger, and the desert locust disasters in East Africa, the Red Sea coast, and parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in southern Africa are still worrying, and are likely to affect the harvest of summer crops.
The "Hunger Outbreak" report pointed out that there are more than 34 million people in the world who are only one step away from going hungry. It is urgent to take key short-term and long-term actions at each "hunger outburst" to meet immediate and future food needs.
"The severity of hunger is shocking," said Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the World Food and Agriculture Organization.
In the opinion of relevant experts, the measures that can be taken at present include increasing food and nutrition assistance, providing drought-resistant crop seeds, vaccinating livestock and treating diseases, carrying out "work-for-cash" projects, and restoring rainwater collection. And to create income-increasing opportunities for some vulnerable communities.
In addition, the report emphasizes that agricultural production in hungry areas is possible and necessary, especially in areas where aid is hard to reach.
Dong Pei
Dong Pei