Food insecurity during covid
A pandemic does more damage to the world than just giving a disease. The current crisis of coronavirus is no exception. On one hand Covid 19 has infected around over 27 million people, leaving more than 0.88 million dead so far. On the other hand the problem of livelihood is getting bigger for vulnerable sections and regions.
Worst affected are the communities from the world’s poorest nations, where food crisis and conflicts have been prevalent since ages. In the few months of coronavirus outbreak, the decades of efforts to eliminate extreme poverty have gone into vain. It will take more than years and decades to mitigate devastating impacts of the pandemic.
Food insecurity and famine risk during covid
There are many countries where food crisis is visibly taking a dangerous shape. Global agencies are confirming this by releasing list of the nations where vulnerabilities are continuously growing in Covid times. United Nations has warned about the risk of extensive food insecurity and famine in four countries hit by conflict.
Citing 2020 Global Report on Food Crises and recent food security analyses, UN chief has said, four nations – Congo, Yemen, northeast Nigeria and South Sudan – rank among the world’s largest food crises, with the lives of millions being in danger. He also informed that funding for help in the poorest countries is very low.
Expressing concerns over the matter, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, action is needed now. These regions have been facing the venom of armed conflict and connected violence for a long time. Population of Congo, Yemen, northeast Nigeria and South Sudan is again in trap of major food insecurity and possible famine.
Conflict-hit countries worst affected
Situation in these countries may be worst, but many other nations are going to enlarge the list in no time. Key indicators of food insecurity and famine are worsening in similar ways in many other conflict-affected countries like Somalia, Burkina Faso and Afghanistan, Guterres said. Different countries may be facing different situations but people are being killed, injured and displaced, he said.
Amid rising fragility, civilians are losing livelihoods and facing disruptions in availability of and access to food, UN head said. Simultaneously, humanitarian operations are facing attacks, delays or obstructions from bringing life-saving support in the regions, Guterres informed, raising concerns over other issues prevailing at the same time.
In times of pandemic, natural disasters, economic shocks and public health crises have aggravated food insecurity in the conflict-hit countries. As meagre one-third to one-fourth of the UN humanitarian appeals have been funded so far for these countries, Guterres expressed possibilities of lessening or suspension of the core programmes.
Biggest food crisis in 50 years
Citing latest data of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, Guterres informed that catastrophe conditions are deteriorating in violence-affected areas. A few months back, UN had already warned the world about coming food crisis, the biggest of 50 years. The international body also estimated that 50 million people to be at risk of virus-related extreme poverty.
Earlier in April, UN World Food Program (WFP) had also sounded alarm on coming food crisis. The world is battling with the coronavirus pandemic, hunger pandemic is also very close, it said. UNWFP Executive-Director David Beasley alerted on real danger of more potential deaths by coronavirus’ economic effects than by virus itself.
UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program have already estimated that more than 30 countries may have to face corona-linked food crisis. The WFP expressed concerns that it could have to feed nearly 140 million people by 2020 end. If this happens, this would be the biggest number of people fed in the agency’s history.
As a distressing impact of Covid pandemic, a large number of countries, weather in Latin America or South Asia or Middle East or East Africa, are likely to face the worst food insecurity in coming days. Global humanitarian bodies, governments of self-sufficient nations and other stakeholders must manage funds and provide the best action plans at the soonest in the countries in need.
