Global Food Crisis: Africa Continues To Grapple With Acute Level Of Hunger

The world is facing an unprecedented food crisis, with Africa bearing the brunt of the devastating consequences.  According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 733 million people globally suffer from hunger in 2023. This staggering number represents about 1 in 11 of the world’s population. Furthermore, 2.8 billion people were said to lack access to nutritious food in 2022, and nearly half of all child deaths under five are linked to malnutrition.

Regardless of the major humanitarian crisis that has evidently ravaged places in the world like Gaza, Africa however bears the brunt of this crisis. The continent is grappling with severe hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions.

The drivers of this growing food crisis in Africa are nothing new as they have been part of our societies from ages past, yet we have not been able to tame and cushion their effects.

Conflict has displaced communities, destroyed infrastructure and disrupted agriculture in countries like Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan. Climate change has brought droughts, floods and heat waves, devastating crops and livestock and exacerbating food insecurity, economic shocks and rising food prices all play a role in Africa’s current food crisis and hunger reality.

282 million people in Africa are said to struggle with access to nutritious food, with women and children highly affected.

The horn of Africa is particularly vulnerable, with drought and conflict affecting 8.5million people in Sudan only. West Africa is also severely impacted, with conflict and economic shocks affecting millions. Nigeria particularly faces acute hunger, with 31.8 million of her people unable to access food due to prolonged insecurity, hikes in food prices and high fuel prices, while South Sudan has millions of people food insecure and on the brink of famine.

The consequences of the food crisis are dire, posing a devastating threat to the African continent and the world at large. The first and most obvious is the damage it causes to the body, causing malnutrition, stunting growth and development in children, and weakening the immune system. Next to this is an increased mortality rate through hunger-related illnesses, particularly among vulnerable population like children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

Hunger goes further to displace people from their homes, forcing migration and reduced productivity. The economic implications of hunger are not one that can be ignored, hindering economic growth and increasing poverty. Hindered access to food also leads to social unrest, fueling conflicts, and increased crime rates.

These consequences are not new, and would make one naturally wonder why with 2024 coming to end, and with less than 6 years to the intended 2030 zero hunger target, it is rather scary to imagine if there would be more hunger in the coming weeks, months and years, or there would indeed be a reduction in the level of food crisis ravaging the world.

This does not insinuate that there have been no strategies in place to curb the effects of hunger, in fact, over the years, governments around the world have received the support of various international bodies, like the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide emergency food assistance, support resilience-building programs, and try to address the underlying causes of hunger. The United Nations Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) has on its own part tried to implement sustainable agriculture practices, support small scale farmers and enhance food storage and distribution

Africa as a continent has also implemented some strategies through the African Union (AU) like the Malabo declaration of 2014 which aimed to end hunger by the year 2025 amidst other targets. But 2025 is in a few months, have these strategies worked?

The alarming figures recorded of hungry people across the globe and particular in Africa is an indicator that that there is a need to review current strategies and ensure that urgent attention and collective action is harnessed to mitigate  the situation at hand and ensure a brighter future for millions.