The Horn of Africa is one of the most food-insecure regions in the world. Poverty, drought, poor governance, and a debilitating series of violent conflicts have combined to produce some of the world's highest levels of malnutrition, the Task Force noted UN said. Some 13 million out of the region's 160 million people are now facing acute food insecurity or famine in the 7 countries, namely Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. Almost 70 million people of the region are chronically undernourished. Nutrition has not improved over the last decades, the report stated.
Poverty is a fundamental cause of food insecurity in the Horn of Africa.
Foreign direct investment is extremely limited. Drought is the most catastrophic natural event, causing widespread periodic famine in the countries concerned. Agriculture and food production also suffer from floods, locust plagues and outbreaks of animal diseases. Military conflicts have exacerbated famine and food insecurity triggered by drought. Although there has been growth in some of the economies, it has so far failed to generate the resources required to address the problem of food insecurity.