Following the recent financial crisis and macroeconomic challenges in Sri Lanka, the people of the country faced severe shortages in fuel, and power supply, which disrupted agricultural productions and food supply chains. According to FAO and WFP joint report, “Two consecutive seasons of poor harvests led to a nearly 50 percent drop in production coupled with reduced imports of food grains due to foreign exchange constraints”. As a result, Millions of people in Sri Lanka have been facing high inflation and acute food shortages. The report notes that “immediate food assistance and livelihood programmes – including through existing social assistance mechanisms – are critical to enable households to access nutritious food – particularly moderately and severely acute food insecure ones.”

In June and July 2022, Equities 4 Equity, took the initiative of helping such vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka. With the help of our Sri Lankan volunteers, including some university students, we organized a food donation drive in Colombo city. We prepared and distributed food bags, with all products sourced locally. Each food bag included rice, dal, coconut oil, sugar and fresh coconuts, which happen to be the most culturally appropriate and also nutritionally beneficial . Like always, our focus was to reach out to children, single mothers and elderly who are at high risk. Below are some snapshots from our Sri Lanka food donation drive.

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After the catastrophic floods in Pakistan since mid-June, many families, especially in the Sindh province have suffered from severe food shortages and starvation. “Officials estimate that more than 800,000 hectares of farmland have been wiped out by the flooding, which followed unusually heavy summer downpours. For many, this raises the risk of starvation in a nation of 225 million people that is already grappling with record 27.3% inflation.”

To help flood victims in Pakistan, Equities 4 Equity donated food bags in Sindh and Karachi areas. Each family received 10kgs whole wheat flour, 5 kgs rice, cooking oil and 2 kgs sugar.

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16th October is UN World Food Day. In honor of #WorldFoodDay 2022, E4E is taking action to show our support and solidarity with the UN mission of #ZeroHunger. With the help of our volunteers and organizers, we are organizing a Food Drive in Nepal to mark the special day. Pictures of the drive will be shared on this page soon.

Food insecurity is rapidly unfolding across the world and it takes our collective efforts to combat this burgeoning challenge. If you’d like to collaborate with us, please contact us.

Nepal Donation Drive Photos

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As many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night, the number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared – from 135 million to 345 million – since 2019. A total of 50 million people in 45 countries are teetering on the edge of famine.

While needs are sky-high, resources have hit rock bottom. The World Food Programme (WFP) requires US$24 billion to reach 153 million people in 2022. However, with the global economy reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, the gap between needs and funding is bigger than ever before. 

We are at a critical crossroads. To avert the hunger catastrophe the world is facing, everyone must step up alongside government donors, whose generous donations constitute the bulk of WFP’s funding. Private sector companies can support our work through technical assistance and knowledge transfers, as well as financial contributions. High net-worth individuals and ordinary citizens alike can all play a part, and youth, influencers and celebrities can raise their voices against the injustice of global hunger. 

Unless the necessary resources are made available, lost lives and the reversal of hard-earned development gains will be the price to pay.

But why is the world hungrier than ever?

This seismic hunger crisis has been caused by a deadly combination of four factors:

• Conflict is still the biggest driver of hunger, with 60 percent of the world’s hungry living in areas afflicted by war and violence. Events unfolding in Ukraine are further proof of how conflict feeds hunger, forcing people out of their homes and wiping out their sources of income.
• Climate shocks destroy lives, crops and livelihoods, and undermine people’s ability to feed themselves.
• The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are driving hunger to unprecedented levels.
• Costs are also at an all-time high: WFP’s monthly operating costs are US$73.6 million above their 2019 average – a staggering 44 percent rise. The extra now spent on operating costs would have previously fed 4 million people for one month.

Levels of humanitarian and development assistance must be stepped up to allow WFP to continue its life-saving work in emergencies but also to build the ability of families and communities to feed themselves and break their dependence on humanitarian support. 

Evidence shows this approach pays dividends. In just three years to 2021, WFP and local communities turned 272,000 acres of barren fields in the Sahel region of five African countries into productive farmland, changing the lives of over 2.5 million people and contributing to peace and stability. In Bangladesh in 2020, WFP supported 145,000 people with cash assistance ahead of severe forecast flooding. This empowered them to buy food and medicine, protect critical assets and transport livestock and families to safe places, preventing losses and damages. This cut the emergency response cost by over half.

However, to achieve Zero Hunger, money is not enough. Only political will can end conflict in places like Yemen, Ethiopia and South Sudan, and without a firm political commitment to contain global warming as stipulated in the Paris Agreement, the main drivers of hunger will continue unabated. 

Source: World Food Programme

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uring the past two decades, population growth, improvement in incomes and diversification of diets have steadily increased the demand for food. Prior to 2000, food prices were in decline, largely through record harvests. At the same time, however, public and private investment in agriculture, especially in the production of staple food, decreased, which led to stagnant or declining crop yields in most developing countries.¹ Rapid urbanization has led to the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses, and low food prices have encouraged farmers to shift to alternative food and non-food crops. Long-term unstable land use has also caused land degradation, soil erosion, nutrient depletion, water scarcity and disruption of biological cycles. Food prices began to rise in 2004 and production increased but more slowly than demand.² The past few years saw a steep rise. In 2005, extreme weather events in major food-producing countries caused world cereal production to fall by 2.1 per cent in 2006.³ In 2007, rapid increases in oil prices not only increased fertilizer and food production costs but also provided a climate favourable to expansion of coarse grains and oil crops for biofuels. Many countries began to impose export restrictions on commodities to control prices; others purchased grains at any price to maintain domestic food supplies or considered taxes on imported food. This has led to panic and instability in international grain markets, attracted speculative investments and contributed to a surge in food prices.

While some food prices appear to be stabilizing, most are expected to remain high. Good harvests anticipated in key grain-producing countries and indications that some major producers will relax export restrictions have calmed grain markets. International prices have come down from their recent peaks. However, over the medium-to-long term, supply and demand dynamics, high fuel prices, global threats, such as climate change,⁴ water stress and scarcity, and degradation of natural resources are expected to keep food prices well above their 2004 levels.

Read More here

Source: United Nations

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America’s acute hunger crisis hinders the success of its people—especially children and youth⁵—as well as its economic growth. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis, coupled with supply chain issues and other challenges, have resulted in rising prices for goods and services—including food. This has worsened the U.S. hunger crisis, shining a light on decades of policy failures in the U.S. food system and the racial and poverty-related disparities that have existed for far too long

Policymakers must immediately take action to combat food insecurity and eliminate the root causes and barriers that prevent millions of individuals and families from succeeding. With several key pieces of food and nutrition legislation coming up for reauthorization in Congress, and with the recent White House announcement that a national conference on hunger, nutrition, and health will be held in September 2022,⁷the United States has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform all of the connected systems that address domestic hunger and food insecurity, focusing on building a whole-of-government, cross-sectoral approach to eliminating hunger.

This report outlines the long-term strategies necessary to end hunger in the United States:

• Reduce poverty as an integral step to reducing hunger
• Create more accessible and affordable food production and distribution systems
• Address the impacts of climate change and improve market competition to ensure long-term food sustainability for all

The report explains why, with the right interventions, hunger is wholly preventable and highlights interviews with Americans who have experienced hunger and food insecurity.

This nation knows how to fix the problem of hunger and food insecurity. Plenty of programs and services attack hunger and food insecurity from various angles—supporting mothers and babies, school-aged children, older adults, low-income workers, and more. These programs are designed to reduce hunger by supplementing incomes and lifting individuals and families out of poverty.⁸

But reducing hunger is quite different from eliminating it entirely. The United States has the resources to build an equitable, sustainable food system that ensures no individual, child, or family goes hungry within its borders. However, this is impossible without the political will necessary to make bold decisions that prioritize the health, well-being, and economic security of everyone, not just the lucky few.

Read More here

Source: Center for American Progress

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What is Food Insecurity?

In 2020, an estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure, equating to over 38 million Americans, including almost 12 million children.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. It is important to know that though hunger and food insecurity are closely related, they are distinct concepts. Hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level.

Extensive research reveals food insecurity is a complex problem. Many people do not have the resources to meet their basic needs, challenges which increase a family’s risk of food insecurity. Though food insecurity is closely related to poverty, not all people living below the poverty line experience food insecurity and people living above the poverty line can experience food insecurity.

Food insecurity does not exist in isolation, as low-income families are affected by multiple, overlapping issues like lack of affordable housing, social isolation, economic/social disadvantage resulting from structural racism, chronic or acute health problems, high medical costs, and low wages. Taken together, these issues are important social determinants of health, defined as the “conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.” Effective responses to food insecurity must address the overlapping challenges posed by the social determinants of health. Hunger + Health explores the impact of food insecurity as a social determinant of health and its effect on individual and population health outcomes.

Ranges of Food Security

While households are often described as either food secure or food insecure, four levels of food security describe the range of households’ experiences in accessing enough food. Households with high food security and marginal food security make up the food secure category, and households with low food security and very low food security make up the food insecure category.

Source: Hunger+Heatlh|Feeding America

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Equities 4 Equity organized a food donation drive in Nepal to mark the UN World Food Day 2022. With the support of our Nepali volunteers from Nepal Medical College, we distributed 72 food bags to older women and mothers with young children, who are at risk of starvation. On 16th October 2022,our volunteers out to these women living in a community at the India-Nepal border, close to Siliguri.

Each E4E food bag contained 5 kg rice, 2kg dal, 2 kg sugar and 2 L vegetable oil. Below are a few images of the people who received the food supplies

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Latest Update – October 31, 2022

Domestic food price inflation remains high around the world. Information between June to September 2022 shows high inflation in almost all low-income and middle-income countries; 84.2% of low-income countries, 88.9% of lower-middle-income countries, and 93% of upper-middle-income countries have seen inflation levels above 5%, with many experiencing double-digit inflation. The share of high-income countries with high food price inflation has risen to 87.5%.

The agricultural, cereal, and export price indices declined in the last two weeks by 4%, 3%, and 10%, respectively. After posting an increase two weeks earlier, wheat prices declined by 8%, driving the decline in the cereal price index, although they are 17% higher than in October 2021. Maize and rice prices remained relatively stable, closing 1 percent point lower than two weeks ago, although they are 28% and 10% higher, respectively, than in October 2021. Maize and wheat prices are 33% and 27% higher, respectively, than in January 2021, and rice prices are 13% lower.

Following the start of the war in Ukraine, trade-related policies imposed by countries have surged. The global food crisis has been partially made worse by the growing number of food trade restrictions put in place by countries with a goal of increasing domestic supply and reducing prices. As of October 21, 2022, 20 countries have implemented 25 food export bans, and eight have implemented 12 export-limiting measures.

A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report on the Black Sea Grain Initiative indicates a rise in ship departures since the signing of the Initiative on July 22, 2022. Although shipments are still about 40% to 50% below pre-war levels, the initiative has helped reduce food prices. However, there are concerns about the threat of further disruptions to Black Sea trade if the initiative is not renewed.

Fertilizer prices fell in the third quarter of 2022 but remain at historically high levels. The decrease in prices reflects weak demand as farmers cut back fertilizer applications because of the high cost; fertilizer affordability is at its lowest since 2008/09. Increasing energy prices and policy measures, such as export restrictions, have contributed to limited global fertilizer availability.

The war in Ukraine has altered global patterns of trade, production, and consumption of commodities in ways that will keep prices at high levels through the end of 2024 exacerbating food insecurity and inflation.

High food prices have triggered a global crisis that is driving millions more into extreme poverty, magnifying hunger and malnutrition. According to a World Bank report, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a major setback in global poverty reduction. Now, rising food and energy prices fueled by climate shocks and conflict have halted the recovery.

The number of people who are experiencing acute food insecurity and will need urgent assistance is likely to climb to 222 million people in 53 countries and territories, according to a FAO-WFP report.

According to an IMF paper, $5 billion to $7 billion in further spending is needed to assist vulnerable households in 48 countries most affected by the higher food and fertilizer import prices. An additional $50 billion is required to end acute food insecurity.

World Bank Action

As part of a comprehensive, global response to the ongoing food security crisis, the World Bank Group is making up to $30 billion available over a period of 15 months in areas such as agriculture, nutrition, social protection, water and irrigation. This financing will include efforts to encourage food and fertilizer production, enhance food systems, facilitate greater trade, and support vulnerable households and producers:

1. A $125 million project in Jordan aims to strengthen the development the agriculture sector by enhancing its climate resilience, increasing competitiveness and inclusion, and ensuring medium- to long-term food security.
2. A $300 million project in Bolivia that will contribute to increasing food security, market access and the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices.
3. A $315 million loan to support Chad, Ghana and Sierra Leone to increase their preparedness against food insecurity and to improve the resilience of their food systems.
4. A $500 million Emergency Food Security and Resilience Support Project to bolster Egypt’s efforts to ensure that poor and vulnerable households have uninterrupted access to bread, help strengthen the country’s resilience to food crises, and support to reforms that will help improve nutritional outcomes.
5. A $130 million loan for Tunisia, seeking to lessen the impact of the Ukraine war by financing vital soft wheat imports and providing emergency support to cover barley imports for dairy production and seeds for smallholder farmers for the upcoming planting season.
6. The $2.3 billion Food Systems Resilience Program for Eastern and Southern Africa, helps countries in Eastern and Southern Africa increase the resilience of the region’s food systems and ability to tackle growing food insecurity. The program will enhance inter-agency food crisis response also boost medium- and long-term efforts for resilient agricultural production, sustainable development of natural resources, expanded market access, and a greater focus on food systems resilience in policymaking.

Source: World Bank

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