Global report on

food crises 2019

Key findings

Technical Discussion, IFPRI

Washington, 26 April 2019
 Food security: the paradox
Food availability Under nourishment
In Kcal/cap/day

PERCENTAGE

MILLION
4000
17 1100

16 1000
3500 945

911.4

15 876.9
855.1
900
14.5
839.8
820.5 820.8
3000 812.8 805.7
794.9
804.2
783.7 784.4
14 13.8
800
13.1

2500 13 12.6
700
12.2

12 11.8
600
11.5
2000 11.3
11 10.9
11 10.7
10.6
10.8
500

1500 10 400
1961
1964
1967
1970
1973
1976
1979
1982
1985
1988
1991
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

World Africa North America South America Prevalence (%) Number (million)

Asia Europe Oceania Source: FAOSTAT Source: FAO, SOFI, 2018

 15 organizations joining forces: CILSS,
European Union, global Food Security Cluster,
global Nutrition Cluster, IFPRI, IGAD, IPC Global
support unit, FAO, FEWS NET, SADC, SICA,
THE GLOBAL OCHA, UNICEF, USAID, WFP

REPORT ON An annual analytical product informing the

FOOD CRISES Global Network against Food Crises, based on a

highly consultative and consensus-based
process facilitated by FSIN

A joint acute food insecurity and

malnutrition analysis providing estimates of
acute hunger
INTEGRATED FOOD SECURITY PHASE CLASSIFICATION (IPC) &
CADRE HARMONISÉ (CH)

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5

Minimal Stressed Crisis Emergency Catastrophe/Famine

Households are able to Households have Households have food Households have large Households have an
meet essential food and minimally adequate food consumption gaps with food consumption gaps extreme lack of food and
non-food needs without consumption but are high or above usual acute resulting in very high other basic needs.
engaging in atypical, unable to afford some malnutrition OR acute malnutrition and Starvation, death and
unsustainable strategies essential non-food accelerated depletion of excess mortality OR face destitution are evident
to access food and expenditures without livelihood assets that will extreme loss of livelihood
income engaging in detrimental lead to food assets that will lead to
coping strategies consumption gaps food consumption gaps

Action for disaster risk

reduction and Urgent action required
livelihoods protection
 . More than 113 million people across 53 countries faced Crisis
(IPC/CH Phase 3 or above). This is a slight dip from last year.

. Despite the slight decrease, over the past three years, the
report has consistently shown that, year on year, more than 100
KEY million people have faced periods of acute hunger.

FIGURES . Eight countries accounted for two thirds of the total number of
people facing acute food insecurity – amounting to nearly 72
million people.

. The worst food crises in 2018 were, in order of severity: Yemen,

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Ethiopia,
Syrian Arab Republic, the Sudan, South Sudan and northern
Nigeria.

. More than 143 million people in a subset of 42 countries in

Stressed conditions (IPC Phase 2).
MAIN DRIVERS: CONFLICT, CLIMATE AND ECONOMIC SHOCKS

Conflict was the key

driver of food insecurity
for the majority of the
113 million acutely food
insecure people.
MAIN DRIVERS: CONFLICT

More than half of those

facing Crisis (IPC/CH
Phase 3) or worse
conditions were in 10
countries or territories
affected by CONFLICT
mainly in the Middle East,
Africa and Asia
MAIN DRIVERS: CLIMATE SHOCKS

African countries
accounted for the
overwhelming majority
of acutely food-insecure
people in countries
affected by CLIMATE
shocks.
MAIN DRIVERS: ECONOMIC SHOCKS

ECONOMIC SHOCKS
were considered the
primary driver of the
acute food insecurity of
10.2 million people in
Crisis (IPC/CH Phase 3)
or worse mostly in three
countries.

It was also the primary

driver of displacement
for migrants from
Venezuela.
 The limited access to the right quantity and
quality of nutritious foods for children’s
NUTRITION: optimum growth and development remains a
major challenge across all countries affected by
MAIN DRIVERS food crisis.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger,

Globally:
- 151 million children affected
by stunting,
- 51 million children affected by
wasting, of whom 16 million
severely so.
Somalia, Bangladesh (Cox’s Bazaar) and Malawi,
less than 10% of the children under two have a
minimum acceptable diet.
Cholera outbreaks in Uganda, Niger, Malawi and
Nigeria; measles outbreaks in Chad and
Madagascar increase the population’s vulnerability
to malnutrition.
Limited access to basic health, nutrition and
WASH services.
 Conflict and insecurity will remain the primary causes of
food insecurity and contribute to persisting or increasing
displacement, internally or towards neighbouring countries

Weather shocks and extreme climate events will continue

FORECAST to have a severe impact on agricultural and livestock
production in several regions (Central America Dry
IN 2019 Corridor and Southern Africa, for instance)

Economic instability will continue undermining the food

security status of vulnerable households in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Libya, South Sudan, the Sudan, the
Syrian Arab Republic, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of),
Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Continued cholera, measles and Ebola outbreaks

 • Reinforcing safety-nets
THE WAY
• Investing in conflict prevention and peace
FORWARD
• Simultaneous action across the

The Global Network humanitarian-development nexus

against food crises:
Working together • Investing in resilience
• Leveraging information and technology
 © WFP/REIN SKULLERUD
www.fsinplatform.org
@FSIN-NEWS