DG ECHO reports on food security. Release nº 1, September 2022.
Date: 2023-06-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
Subjects: ECHO, crisis management, food security, humanitarian aid, hunger, report, serial publication

DG ECHO 

Reports on food security 

Release nº 1 – September 2022 

Directorate-General for European Civil  
Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations 

Civil Protection and 
Humanitarian Aid 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

DG ECHO  

Reports on food security 
Release nº 1 – September 2022 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DG ECHO reports on food security 

Table of Contents 

Executive summary .............................................................................................. 7 

1.  Global picture ................................................................................................ 9 

1.1. How the Russian invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the global food crisis ....11 
1.2. Drought in the Horn of Africa and famine forecast in Somalia ............................12 

2.  Geographical focus ..................................................................................... 13 

2.1. West and Central Africa ....................................................................................14 
2.2. East and Southern Africa...................................................................................27 
2.3. Middle East and North Africa (MENA) ...............................................................40 
2.4. Latin America and Caribbean ............................................................................47 
2.5. Asia and Pacific .................................................................................................56 

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DG ECHO Reports on food security 

List of Organisations 

DG ECHO 

Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid 

DG INTPA  Directorate General for International Partnerships 

FAO 

ICRC 

IFRC 

Food and Agriculture Organization 

International Committee of the Red Cross 

International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 

OCHA 

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 

OXFAM 

Oxford Committee for Famine Relief 

UNHCR 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 

UNICEF 

United Nations Children’s Fund 

WFP 

World Food Program 

List of acronyms  

CCCM 

Camp Coordination and Camp Management  

COHAFA 

Council working party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid 

CVA 

Cash and Voucher Assistance 

DREF 

Disaster Response Emergency Fund 

DRR 

EDF 

EiE 

ERP 

FSL 

GFD 

Disaster Risk Reduction 

European Development Fund 

Education in Emergencies 

Emergency Response Plan 

Food Security and Livelihoods 

General Food Distribution 

GNFC 

Global Network Against Food Crises 

GRFC 

Global Report on Food Crises 

HDP 

IDP 

Humanitarian – Development – Peace nexus 

Internally Displaced Person 

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DG ECHO reports on food security 

IPC/CH 

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification 

MAM 

MEB 

MPCT 

MSNA 

PLW 

RHD 

RMRP 

RPCA 

SAM 

SMEB 

Moderate Acute Malnutrition 

Minimum Expenditure Basked 

Multi-purpose Cash Transfer 

Multi-Sector Needs Assessment 

Pregnant Lactating Women 

Refugee Hosting District 

Refugee and Migrant Response Plan 

Food Crisis Prevention Network 

Severe Acute Malnutrition 

Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket 

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DG ECHO Reports on food security 

Executive summary 

Food  security  is  deteriorating  globally  according  to  recent  analyses  from  the  Global 
Network against Food Crises (GNFC)1, and it is reaching alarming levels and an all-time 
high.  There  are  currently  up  to  205  million  people  acutely  food  insecure  and  in  need  of 
urgent food assistance (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above or equivalent) across 45 countries, twice 
as many as in 20162. Around 970,000 people worldwide are projected to face catastrophic 
conditions  of  food  insecurity  (IPC/CH  Phase  5)  in  2022.  Specialized  agencies  warn  that 
hunger  is  likely  to  further  increase  in  the  immediate  to  near  future  in  19  countries  or 
situations. 

In 2022, food insecurity was exacerbated by the direct effects of Russia’s invasion of 
Ukraine on the global economy, including on food prices, global supply of grains as well as 
on  the  price  of  energy  and  fertilizers.  These  factors  compounded  food  crises  that  were 
already  raging  due  to  conflict,  drought  and  floodings  particularly  associated  with  climate 
change, and protracted negative socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Despite hunger being already on the rise for the past five years, funding to address this 
has been lagging behind3. Furthermore, the humanitarian system overly relies only on a 
limited number of donors.  

EU  humanitarian  assistance  is  funded  through  the  European  Commission’s  Directorate 
General  for  Civil  Protection  and  Humanitarian  Aid  (DG  ECHO).  It  is  designed  and 
implemented in a nexus approach, whereby synergies between humanitarian, development 
and  peace  actions  are  actively  pursued  and  absolutely  necessary.  Low  humanitarian 
budgets cannot address structural effects and causes. DG ECHO has reacted swiftly and 
decisively to address the hunger crisis by substantially increasing funding for countries most 
at  risk  and  stepping-up  advocacy  efforts.  Longer-term  measures  include  supporting 
countries  in  the  transformation  towards  resilient  and  sustainable  food  systems  by 
strengthening  coordination  with 
including  with  G7  members, 
international  actors, 
intensifying anticipatory action and improving data collection and usage. 

In 2022 alone, DG ECHO has already allocated EUR 770 million for humanitarian food 
assistance, 32% more than in 2021. This includes the recent mobilization of an additional 
EUR  150  million  de-committed  funds  from    the  European  Development  Fund  for 
humanitarian food assistance in the most vulnerable countries in Africa, Caribbean, and the 
Pacific.  We  have  also  co-organized  pledging  conferences  for  the  Sahel  and  Lake  Chad 
region  (4  April),  the  Horn  of  Africa  (26  April),  and  Syria  (9-10  May),  which  helped  raise 
around EUR 10 billion from several donors and organizations. 

Against this backdrop, the objectives of the present report are threefold. Firstly, to draw 
attention  to  the  situation  in  a  set  of  21  countries  and  regions  considered  of  maximum 
concern from a food security perspective. Secondly, to outline DG ECHO’s intervention in 
the field to meet rising humanitarian needs. And lastly, given the scale and severity of the 
hunger crisis, to identify critical needs and opportunities for coordinated action against food 
insecurity,  with  a  view  to  scale-up  assistance  to  the  populations  most  in  need.    It 
encapsulates information collected from DG ECHO’s field and geographical desks at the 
end of August 2022 and is intended to provide a more granular picture of the realities from 

1 Cfr. Global Report on Food Crises mid-year update (13 September 2022) and Hunger Hotspots Report (21 September 2022) 

2 Figure from the latest update of the Global Report on Food Crises (published on 13 September). This figure underestimates 
the  actual  needs,  as  the  update  covers  eight countries  less than the  previous  report  (covering  2021). If  we  add  the  2021 
figures for these eight countries, the total figure would be above 220 million people. 

3 Latest data available (GNFC). 

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DG ECHO reports on food security 

a  field  perspective.  This  knowledge  is  further  complemented  with  references  to  public 
sources of information.   

This report provides detailed information about the six hunger hotspots as identified by the 
GNFC, namely Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Nigeria, as 
they all have populations facing or projected to face starvation (Catastrophe, IPC/CH Phase 
5)  or  at  serious  risk  of  deterioration  due  to  critical  food  insecurity  (Emergency,  IPC/CH 
Phase 4). In addition to these, the report covers the Democratic Republic of the Congo 
(DRC),  Haiti,  Kenya,  Uganda,  Sudan,  Syria,  Lebanon,  the  Central  African  Republic 
(CAR),  the  Sahel  region  (Mauritania,  Mali,  Burkina  Faso,  Niger,  Chad),  Zimbabwe, 
Madagascar, Mozambique, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, where the GNFC 
warns about the possible intensification of life-threatening conditions in the coming months. 

Climate change and related weather extremes remain a key driver of food insecurity in many 
of the countries under analysis. Droughts in countries such as Kenya, Madagascar and 
Somalia, are causing crops to deteriorate and harvests to fail as in NIger and Mauritania 
as well.  Floods and irregular rains in 2021 in Niger, Mauritania, Chad, Mozambique, 
and Zimbabwe, for example, are bringing about similar consequences. 

Many countries are affected by the global economic downturn that was already raging due 
to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting – among others – the currency market 
and  causing  high  rates  of  inflation  notably  on  international  food  prices.  Critical  cases 
include, for instance, Venezuela, with an estimated inflation of 155 percent; Burkina Faso, 
where  the  inflation  has  increased  the  price  of  the  main  food  products  by  more  than  47 
percent,  reaching  up  to  70  percent  for  some  products  and  around  150  percent  in  some 
conflict areas (the situation is similar in Mali); and Lebanon, where the prices of the Survival 
Minimum Expenditure Basket has increased by 1522 percent, compared to October 2019.   

Rising  prices  of  oil, fertilizer  and food  following  the  Russian  aggression against  Ukraine, 
disproportionately  impacted  on  countries  with  already  high  levels  of  food  insecurity  and 
highly dependent on imports from Russia and Ukraine. These include, for example Syria, 
where food prices in June 2022 were 45 percent higher than in January; Mauritania, where 
prices of sorghum, local beans, and wheat in June recorded an increase of +60, +50, and 
+35 percent, respectively, compared to 2021, while oil is 70 percent more expensive; and 
Uganda, where the average monthly price of the local food basket in June 2022 increased 
by 31 percent year-on-year.  

Lastly, internal and regional expanding conflicts are an additional layer that continue to more 
and more impede on the 4 pillars of food security, on livelihood and markets access, crops 
and  essential  services  which  translates  into significant  increase  of  caseload  of  people  in 
severe food insecurity throughout the year, also due to the absence of other types of longer-
term  assistance.  In  this  respect,  countries  like  Burkina  Faso,  Mali,  Nigeria,  Ethiopia, 
Mozambique, Haiti and others have been gravely affected. 

Most of these countries are faced with multiple challenges at the same time which overlap 
and exponentially aggravate the situation a. High food inflation, displacement, increasing 
insecurity,  prolonged  effects  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  structural  poverty  and  lack  of 
governance, , and many other factors are additional causes contributing to the exacerbation 
of global food crises. 

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DG ECHO Reports on food security 

1. Global picture 

On  12  September,  an  update  of  the  Global  Report  on  Food  Crises  (GRFC)  has  been 
published,  providing  the  most  recent  and  detailed  picture  of  the  global  food  insecurity 
situation.  This  report  estimates  at  205  million  the  number  of  people  in  need  of  food 
assistance, compared to 193 million at the end of 2021. Despite the increase, this report 
does not provide a full picture, as it covers 45 countries only (compared to the 53 covered 
in the previous one) due to the lack of recent analysis in some countries. If we only consider 
the 45 countries covered by the update, the number of people in acute food insecurity has 
increased by 21% since the last report covering 20214. 

Source: Global Report against Food Crises, Sept 2022 

This is the highest figure since the GRFC is published, and confirms a daunting trend: the 
number of people in acute food insecurity has increased systematically since the first edition 
of the report (covering the year 2016), and the current figures are double those of 2016.   

The  most  significant  increases  in  food  insecurity were  observed  in  Nigeria,  Somalia  and 
Yemen. Ten countries recorded an increase of more than 50% in the numbers of people in 
food crisis. 

The largest crises in absolute terms are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, 
Ethiopia, Nigeria and Yemen. 

Source: Global Report against Food Crises, Sept 2022 

4  If we add the figures from the previous report for the eight missing countries, the total figure would be above 220 million. 
This would be a conservative estimate, as it doesn’t consider any increase of food insecurity in these countries. 

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Source: Global Report against Food Crises, Sept 2022 

We note a very strong deterioration and acceleration of food insecurity in West Africa and 
in  particular  in  the  Sahel:  +48%  and  +153%  of  people  in  food  crisis  (phase  3  and  +) 
compared to 2021 and the average of the last 5 years with a greater and worrying increase 
of people in phase 4 (Emergency phase  or ”pre-famine” phase because just before famine 
phase): +72% and +228% versus 2021 and its last 3 years. 

Not only global numbers, but also the severity of hunger remains very high, with around 39 
million people in Emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC phase 4, second highest in the 
scale)  and  almost  500,000  people  in  catastrophe  level  in  four  countries  (IPC  phase  5, 
highest in the scale): 

Source: Global Report against Food Crises, Sept 2022 

In the latest Hunger Hotspots report, published in June, five countries were considered to 
be  at  risk  of  famine:  Ethiopia,  Nigeria,  South  Sudan,  Yemen,  Afghanistan  and  Somalia. 
Such risk is likely to materialise in Somalia, where it has been forecasted that a famine will 
occur  in  October,  unless  urgent  action  is  taken,  affecting  the  districts  of  Baidoa  and 
Burhakaba, in the Bay region. There have only been two declared famines in the 18
year 
history of the IPC, the last in 2017.  

‑

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DG ECHO Reports on food security 

The  drivers  of  food  insecurity  remain  conflict,  global  and  local  economic  shocks,  and 
weather extremes, against a background of poverty and inequality. In the last years, the 
successive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have 
accelerated the trend and contribute explaining the dramatic situation. 

1.1. How the Russian invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the global 

food crisis 

The  ripple  effects  of  the  Russian  invasion  of  Ukraine  on  global  food  security  have  been 
extensively discussed, and projections have been made by several organisations, but so 
far  they  haven’t  been  objectively  measured.  The  picture  provided  by  the  GRFC  update, 
despite being published in September, doesn’t fully capture these effects, as many of the 
analyses  on  which  it  is  based  were  carried  out  too  early.  The  next  edition  of  the  GRFC 
should provide a more precise estimation of this impact which should also be associated 
with an analysis of the (speculative) mode of operation of international markets . 
It would be interesting to analyze the chronology of announcements and the effects of price 
increases  (cf.  immediate  increase  in  prices  even  when  stocks  existed,  price  per  barrel 
versus price at the pump, etc.). 

The most obvious effect of the invasion has been the increase in global food prices. Before 
the invasion, these were already at a ten-year high due to the economic effects of COVID-
19.  The  invasion  further  increased  prices,  as  both  Russia  and  Ukraine  were  major  food 
exporters,  and  together  provided  one  third  of  global  cereal  supply,  and  80%  of  global 
sunflower oil February and reached the highest level since its inception in 1990.  

Source: FAO 

Food  prices  stabilised  in  the  second  quarter  of  the  year  and  decreased  to  pre-invasion 
levels after the signature of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July. However, food prices still 
remain  7.9%  higher  than  in  August  2021.  Furthermore,  the  Initiative  is  unlikely  to  fully 
stabilise markets, as quantities exported remain low, the situation in the Black Sea remains 
fragile,  and  global  trade  patterns  have  been  significantly  altered.  Food  prices  are  thus 
expected to remain volatile and high in the next couple of years. 

Beyond  food  prices,  the  Russian  invasion  is  also  impacting  food  security  through  its 
negative effect on the prices of energy and fertiliser – which were already very high before 
the invasion.  

Countries that were highly dependent on grain and oil imports from the Black Sea region 
were  the  first  to  suffer  the  effects  of  the  crisis.  The  cost-of-living  crisis  that  followed  is 
affecting particularly low-income, food-importing countries with macroeconomic difficulties 

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and limited coping capacities. 
This  includes  many  countries 
in the MENA region and Sub-
Saharan  Africa,  some  of 
which  were  already 
facing 
serious food crises.    

Soaring  food  and  fuel  prices 
may compromise the ability of 
humanitarian actors to supply 
food  to  the  areas  with  the 
direst  needs.  WFP  estimated 
that  their  operational  costs 
would  increase  by  EUR  26.1 
million  per  month  in  2022, 
compared 
to  pre-invasion 
levels,  and  EUR  63.8  million 
per  month  compared  to  pre-
pandemic levels.  

Source: IPC 

This is leading to a reduction of food assistance, which could further aggravate some of the 
world’s worst food crises. 

The effects are expected to continue into next year: in 2022, fertilizer prices have increased 
significantly, and around 30% of the agricultural land will remain unharvested or not planted 
this year in Ukraine. The World Bank anticipates that energy prices will rise more than 50% 
in  2022,  before  easing  in  2023  and  2024.  This  will  certainly  have  a  negative  impact  on 
agricultural  productivity  in  the  next  planting  seasons.  It  is  estimated  that  the  decline  in 
fertiliser use alone could reduce food production by 20% in Africa. 

1.2.Drought in the Horn of Africa and famine forecast in Somalia 

On 5 September, the Famine Review Committee forecasted that a famine will occur in two 
districts of Somalia unless urgent action is taken. This is mainly the consequence of the 
persistent  drought  in  the  Horn  of  Africa,  which  also  affects  Ethiopia  and Kenya,  but  also 
decades of conflict, severe economic shocks and mass population displacement.  

The drought in the Horn of Africa started in 2020 and has stretched over four rainy seasons, 
making it the most extensive and severe in four decades. It has caused a dramatic increase 
of acute food insecurity in the three countries, affecting up to 19-21 million people. It has 
also caused over 1.5 million displacements, and originated the first famine declaration in 
five years.  

There is a high likelihood that the next rainy season (October – December 2022) will also 
be below average – which would be an extremely rare event. If this happens, the number 
of people in need of urgent food assistance could increase to an estimated 23-26 million 
people, including more people in famine-like situation.    

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2. Geographical focus 

This  section  compiles  intelligence  about  the  main  food  crises  from  the  DG  ECHO  field 
network  and  geographical  units.  For  each  country,  highlights  are  provided  regarding  the 
status  and  evolution  of  food  insecurity,  the  main  underlying  factors,  and  the  main 
interventions of DG ECHO and other actors. Finally, some ideas are put forth for needs and 
opportunities for action are put forth, including opportunities for a reinforced HDP nexus.     

Among  the  ideas  put  forth,  increasing  humanitarian  funding  and  better  targeting  is 
suggested  for  most  countries.  Many  opportunities  for  nexus  are  identified,  including 
coordination with agricultural, livelihood and resilience activities; links with social protection 
schemes; etc.  

Other recurrent recommendations relate to: 

• 

• 

Improving  the  efficiency  of  aid  through  e.g.  a  more  rapid  and  anticipatory  action 
approaches systematic and use of cash transfers.   

Improving  data  and  information  systems  and  analyses  (more  integrated/common 
analyses) 

•  Reinforcing advocacy on a variety of issues (increased funding, respect of IHL, etc.). 

Example of these are: 

•  Support initiatives for synergy/complementarity and coordination of INTPA - ECHO 
funding such as in the Sahel (PDU/FFU, CRIALCES), Mali (DUE funds in central 
Mali), Niger (FPI) and Burkina Faso (FPI), 

•  Support nexus initiatives in the CAR, through joint financing and strong coordination. 
To  this  end,  continue  to  coordinate  with  the  EU  Delegation  on  the  possible 
reprogramming  of  unspent  budget  support  to  redirect  it  to  resilience  and  food 
security funding   

•  Take  advantage  of  the  decommitted  EDF  funds,  which,  ,  will  lead  to  additional 
funding in the food security sector for Chad. See if/how these additional resources 
can feed into the nexus approach in the Sahelian belt.  

•  Advocate  both  internally  and  externally  to  donors  for  increased  engagement  on 

Yemen. 

•  Advocating with other EU services and donors for increased engagement in Syria 
for integrated programming that boosts ability of people to earn a living. Livelihoods 
programmes, including agricultural projects, market strengthening, job creation and 
restoration of basic services. 

More granular detail is provided in the country fiches below. 

NOTE:  To  describe  the  food  insecurity  status,  these  fiches  use  the  Integrated  Phase 
Classification (IPC) scale, which is the most broadly used framework. This scale classifies 
food  insecurity  in  five  levels  (see  below).  Expressions  like  “IPC  3+”  are  frequently  used, 
meaning “IPC 3 and higher”.     

In  West  African  countries,  IPC  can  be  referred  to  as  CH  (Cadre  Harmonisé).  CH  is  an 
analogous system, considered fully compatible with IPC. Hence, CH and IPC phases can 
be considered equivalent, and are often referred to as the IPC/CH framework. 

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DG ECHO reports on food security 

Source: IPC 

2.1.West and Central Africa 

Burkina Faso 

Situation and evolution 

Food security continues to deteriorate in Burkina Faso. In the March 2022 CH/IPC (before 
the  aggression  against  Ukraine),  there  is  an  increase  of  20  %  of  people  food  insecure 
IPC/CH3+  expected  in  lean  season  versus  2021,  +112%  on  the  last  5-year  average, 
reaching 3.45 million people, with an increase of 82% of people in IPC phase 4 (prefamine: 
628,464 people). This is the highest caseload since the CH/IPC analyses of 2015. 179,000 
children  require  also  life-saving  nutrition  treatment.  The  closure  and  reduction  of 
functionality of health centres (183 closed, 363 minimally functioning) affects more than 1.5 
million  people.  The  inflationary  situation  experienced  by  Burkina  Faso (one  of  highest  in 
WA) since 2021’s harvest continues to worsen. In June-July, the main products consumed 
such as oil, millet, maize, sorghum, and cowpea are up, on average, by + 59, +56, +70 and 
+47%  respectively  compared  to  2021.  In  areas  of  very  high  insecurity  and/or  blockade 
(notably  in  Sahel  region),  53%  of  people  are  in  food  insecurity,  including  21%  in  a 
humanitarian emergency with unprecedented severity in some conflict area. The Minimum 
Food Expenditure Basket (MFEB) cost increased by over 27% since the beginning of 2022. 
The Government has put in place measures to limit the prices of local cereals and some 
basic necessities by reducing some taxes but without much effect, nor respect by traders. 
It also plans to assist more than 3.3 million people. At the end of June, only 50% coverage 
is expected for emergency food assistance and less than 20% for livelihood support. The 
WFP  announces  a  response  to  1.7  million  people  with  reduced  rations  of  50  to  75% 
depending on the beneficiaries. A USD 138 million net funding requirement was announced 
in July 2022 by WFP5 without however disaggregating the different needs. 

5 https://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/wfp-burkina-faso-country-brief-may-2022  

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Drivers 

The intensification of conflict and the insecurity with targeting of civils, food and markets 
blockage  by  non-state  armed  group  using  "starvation"  as  a  weapon  of  war,  the  gap  of 
humanitarian access, internal displaced people (more than 1.9 million people) are the main 
direct and indirect drivers of the food and nutritional crisis aggravated by political instability. 
Other factors are the significant agricultural and pastoral deficits in 2021 at the national and 
sub-regional level, and the rise in national, sub-regional and international food prices (cf. 
FAO  Index)  since  2021.  The  price  of  hydrocarbons  and  transport  (the  prices  have  more 
than  doubled  in  the  blockaded  areas)  have  also  risen.  The  Ukrainian  conflict  has  only 
exacerbated  inflation  and  speculation.  The  high  insecurity  on  the  roads  (improvised 
explosive devices, illegal controls and detentions, thefts and other attacks) and destruction 
of infrastructure also leads to a very strong negative impact on the markets and access to 
beneficiaries. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  About EUR 38 million have been released to support a multisectoral humanitarian 

response. 

•  Replenishment  of  a  DREF  request  for  food  insecurity  &  Small-Scale  Tool  for 
displacements  totaling  EUR  0.48  million.  Upcoming:  transfer  of  funds  of  EUR  1 
million from Luxembourg to DG ECHO and discussion in progress with Austria about 
a contribution of EUR 0.8 million. 

•  Food assistance (41%), health and nutrition (12%) and Protection (11%) are priority 

sectors. DG ECHO provides aid mainly through cash and in-kind deliveries. 

•  EU is a leading actor on diplomacy and coordinated humanitarian advocacy. On 6 
April 2022,  DG  ECHO  co-hosted  (with  the  Global  Network  Against  Food  Crises - 
GNFC, OECD, Club du Sahel) a high-level Panel during the Food Crisis Prevention 
Network  (RPCA)  bi-annual  meeting,  where  the  food  insecurity  crisis  and  related 
drivers were emphasized as well as the underfunded response. EUR 2.5 billion were 
mobilized for the sub-region including funds already planned/allocated and for non-
humanitarian responses that do not target households in food crisis. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  EU delegation: FPI, PDU and Pasanad's (closing) programs 

•  USAID/BHA: USD 110 million including USD 40 million top up for food assistance 

in June-July 2022. 

•  World  Bank  support  to  WFP  and  Ministry  for  Humanitarian  Action  with  USD  388 

million.  

•  GBP 33 million for 35 months from the FCDO/UK Sahel Regional Fund, starting in 

2023. 

Needs and opportunities  

•  The triple crisis affecting Burkina Faso (conflict, food insecurity, political instability) 
requires scaling up the response to essential basic needs including minimum dietary 
requirements  of  vulnerable  displaced  and  hosts  communities,  despite  the 
operational constraints.  

•  Severely  underfunded  crisis.  Additional  short  and  long-term  financial  support  is 

required. 

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DG ECHO reports on food security 

• 

• 

Improve  prioritization  of  assistance  ensuring  greater  coverage  for  the  most 
vulnerable groups including new IDP’s and refugees. 

Increase the efforts and advocacy of the EU and other partners for more efficient 
emergency and post-emergency assistance of productive sectors and infrastructure 
in rural areas, in a nexus perspective. 

•  Accelerate operationalization of the HDP nexus and its monitoring/evaluation, esp. 

for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). 

Central African Republic (CAR) 

Situation and evolution 

After a peak of violence during the post-electoral crisis in 2021, the situation has stabilized, 
but  activities  of  armed  groups  persist  widely,  exacerbating  an  already  fragile  and  tense 
socio-economic situation, with the most affected areas being the Northwest, Central, and 
Eastern regions. 

Currently there are 647,883 IDPs recorded in the country, the vast majority (75%) staying 
with  hosting  families/relatives.  This  is  a  slight  decrease  compared  with  a  year  ago  (> 
700,000 IDPs during the post-electoral crisis), but internal displacements have increased 
again since May.     

2.2 million people are projected in IPC Phase 3 to 5 over the period April to August 2022 
(April 2022 IPC), which represents 45% of the total population analysed. This represents a 
slight  decrease  compared  with  the  number  of  people  in  crisis  or  emergency  reported  in 
2020 (2.4 million) and 2021 (2.3 million) but still a 15% increase over the 5-year average 
number of people in crisis or emergency. 23 sub-prefectures are classified as IPC Phase 4 
Emergency,  with  638,000  people  nationwide  classified  as  Phase  4  emergency  with 
immediate “risk of mortality”.  

This year, the lean season is taking place in a particularly deteriorated economic context, 
due  to  the  global  impact  of  the  Russian  aggression  in  Ukraine.  As  a  result  of  the  global 
inflation  on  food  and  fuel  prices,  the  authorities  have  restricted  cereal  exports,  fuel 
shortages (and confiscation by the authorities) have happened and the cost of transporting 
foodstuffs has soared. Thus, supply flows to local markets are impacted internally by the 
security  situation  and  externally  by  the  international  economic  context.  Consequently, 
market prices on basic foodstuffs in May 2022 show very worrying trends, with +68% for 
rice and +14% for corn compared to 2021. The increased cost of fertilisers will also affect 
further  the  resilience  of  the  affected  populations,  through  lower  agricultural  output  in  the 
next agricultural season.  

Drivers 

The protracted crisis which started in CAR has structurally undermined productivity in the 
agricultural sector, because of the lack of investment in rural infrastructural and agricultural 
road/transport 
inputs.  Logistical  challenges 
and 
infrastructures) 
commercialization/distribution of food. 

insufficient  access  (poor 
to 

leading 
also  major 

production 

obstacles 

are 

the 

to 

Recurrent  violence  and  resulting  displacements  continue  to  reduce  the  resilience  and 
livelihood opportunities of the communities affected by these fluid conflict dynamics. These 
long-term drivers are now being exacerbated by the current shocks of the global impact of 
the  crisis  in  Ukraine  (inflation  of  food  prices,  fertilisers  and  fuel)  and  of  the  reduction  or 
suspension in development aid, especially budget support, owing to the political situation in 
CAR (concerns over the regime’s reliance for security on Russia’s private military contractor 
Wagner).  

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The  pressure  on  the  national  budget  is  reinforced  by  the  rising  cost  of  essential  goods 
acquired on the international market and which are subsidized by the government (e.g. fuel) 
– the risks of State bankruptcy are real and discontent is growing within the population.  

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR 17 million allocated under the HIP 2022, the smallest allocation for the CAR 

crisis since 2014. 

•  Actions  mitigating  food  insecurity  represent  24%  (EUR  4  million)  of  the  ECHO 
portfolio, followed by Education in Emergency (EIE 21%), Health (11%) and Rapid 
Response Mechanism (RRM 10%). 

Other actors’ main interventions 

• 

In  CAR  US/BHA  is  by  far  the  largest  humanitarian  donor.  In  2022,  so  far,  BHA 
contributed to the HRP with USD 159 million (53% of the donor’s allocations); the 
funding is predominantly allocated to the food security sector (USD 106 million), this 
includes a recent top-up of USD 35 million. 

•  The  HRP  for  CAR  (USD  461  million)  is  currently  funded  at  65%,  the  funding 

response to the food security sector for 2022 is currently reaching 93%. 

Needs and opportunities  

• 

• 

Improve  prioritization  of  assistance  ensuring  greater  coverage  for  the  most 
vulnerable groups, through EDF funding for emergency assistance in the food sector 
in CAR. 

Immediately  support  during  the  crop  season  to  ensure  a  better  agricultural 
production level and a rapid recovery. 

•  Support nexus initiatives, through joint financing and strong coordination including 
with the EU Delegation on the possible reprogramming of unspent budget support 
to redirect it to resilience and food security. 

Chad 

Situation and evolution 

2.1 million people are expected in IPC Phase 3 in Chad during the 2022 lean season (June 
to  August)  which  represents  an  increase  of  18%  compared  to  2021,  including  101,000 
people in Phase 4 - Emergency. In the current lean season, the needs are particularly high 
in the Lake region (153,000 in IPC3+), in the Sahelian belt (844,000 people in IPC3+) and 
in the border areas with Cameroon. A total of 24 departments are projected to be in Phase 
3 during the 2022 lean season.  

National  Malnutrition  rates  are  above  emergency  thresholds  with  2%  severe  acute 
malnutrition (SAM) and 10.9% global acute malnutrition (GAM). Health centres in the capital 
city are saturated because of the increased caseload compared to the projections for the 
year.  

On 1 June 2022, the President of Chad declared a food and nutrition emergency through 
Decree  1520/PCMT/PMT,  emphasising  the  dire  consequences  expected  in  case  of  no 
further resources are mobilised by the state and donors.  

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In the Sahel belt region, demand outweighs supply, and is focused on own consumption. 
Food supply comes mainly from the southern parts of the country, also in production deficit 
this year, which has a strong impact on price trends. The war in Ukraine affects basic food 
stuffs prices and generates a lack of access to agricultural inputs for the rural communities. 
This limits production capacities in 2022 and therefore the ability of vulnerable households 
to  recover  from  this  crisis.  The  pastoral  situation  is  critical,  with  the  late  installation  of 
pastures in addition to the poor rainy season in 2021 in addition to the unprecedented floods 
of  2022  rainy  season,  that  affected  almost  1  million  people  in  18  provinces  over  23, 
destroyed 79.000 homes, 465.000 hectares of land 19.400 animals. Transhumant herders 
arriving in the Sahel will cause additional pressure on natural resources which may impact 
coexistence among the communities.  

The situation in the Lake Chad region is characterised by a significant number of internally 
displaced people, with 381,289people in total. Insecurity has not abated: 1,331 incidents 
have been reported from January to August 2022. 35.184 refugees from the Far North of 
Cameroon who came in late 2021 following intercommunity on the other side of the border 
are still in host communities in Ndjamena and in camps around the capital. 

Chad is one of the 6 pilot countries of the EU Triple Nexus approach. FAO and WFP already 
benefit from a EUR 44 million program (P2RSA) by DG INTPA in support of food security 
and nutrition (for example through the local production of fortified flours), social protection, 
as well as local governance and cohesion. 

Drivers 

Persistent violence in Chad and in bordering countries continues to cause displacements. 
According  to  the  latest  DTM  and  UNHCR  data,  Chad  registers  some  573,762  refugees 
(Sudan, CAR, Cameroon, Nigeria), 381,289 IDPs, and 101,551 returnees.  

The lack of rain in 2021 had significantly affected the agricultural and fodder production, 
aggravating  the  already  critical  food  situation  of  the  most  vulnerable  and  the  conflict-
affected households. The most common coping strategies are the sale of livestock, the sale 
of  productive  and  non-productive  assets,  and  the  migration  of  one  or  more  household 
members. 

The  2022  rainy  season  has  started,  with  above-average  rainfalls  and  resulting  floods 
affecting 1 million people.  

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR  39.8  million  allocated  in  2022,  including  among  main  sectors:  health  and 
nutrition  (29%),  food  assistance  (24%)  and  Rapid  Response  Mechanism  (17%). 
43% of the RRM is allocated to food assistance, bringing total food assistance to 
around EUR 11.6 million (31%). 

•  DG ECHO is also supporting the Food Security Cluster at national and Lac Province 

level. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  US/BHA  is  the  other  main  donor  to  fund  emergency  food  assistance  and  has 
recently  approved  a  significant  top-up  of  25  million  USD  to  WFP  to  address  the 
consequences of the food crisis.  

•  WFP plans to cover 1.061 million people out of 2.1 million in food crisis but has so 
far announced a funding gap of 85% which is partially covered by the BHA top up. 

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Needs and opportunities  

•  Continue to improve prioritization of assistance, ensuring greater coverage for the 

most vulnerable groups. 

•  Take advantage of the EDF decommitted funds, which, will lead to additional funding 
in the food security sector. See if/how these additional resources can feed into the 
nexus approach in the Sahelian belt.  

•  Also,  as  part  of  the  nexus  approach,  advocate  for  immediate  support  to  crop 
production to ensure a better agricultural production level and a rapid recovery, in 
complementarity with emergency food assistance. 

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)  

Situation and evolution 

A  staggering  27  million  people  in  the  Democratic  Republic  of  the  Congo  (DRC)  are 
estimated to be highly food insecure. This includes six million people at emergency level 
(IPC  4),  primarily  in  four  territories:  Djugu  (Ituri  province),  Irumu  (North  Kivu),  Kamonia 
(Kwilu) and Gungu (Kasai). Agricultural productivity is low in the DRC. Structural poverty 
and under-development, poor infrastructure and poor governance that limit agricultural and 
economic activities in rural areas, livestock and agricultural pests, forced displacement due 
to  conflict,  weather  conditions  and  climate  change,  as  well  as  recurrent  epidemics, 
contribute  to  the  alarming  food  insecurity.  In  addition,  the  lack  of  appropriate  and 
accessible/affordable  health  care,  access 
to  clean  water,  availability  of  sanitary 
infrastructure, knowledge as well as insufficient nutritional support mechanisms contribute 
to the fact that an estimated 2.5 million children under five years of age suffer from global 
acute malnutrition.  

According to the last market price update from May 2022, the median cost of the Minimum 
Expenditure Basket (MEB) for all assessed territories remained relatively stable compared 
to  April  (+0.2%),  with  the  exception  of  North  Kivu  and  South  Kivu  provinces,  where  the 
median  MEB  was  slightly  higher.  However,  one  in  two  traders  reported  challenges  with 
restocking (REACH ICSM May 2022). 

The DRC relies heavily on imported food (around 23% of cereals are imported) and refined 
petroleum, exposing the country to the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine (Hunger Hotspots 
report) and poor conditions of rural agricultural feeder roads. 

Drivers 

Conflict  and  violence: Armed  and  inter-community  conflicts  affect  mainly  five  of  the  26 
provinces of the DRC. 5.53 million people are internally displaced (IDP) and over 96 percent 
of displacement is conflict driven. Insecurity does not allow farmers to tilt their land, access 
markets,  etc.  IDPs  depend  on  host  populations  and  humanitarian  aid,  including  food 
assistance.  

Poverty and under-development: The DRC is severely under-developed, with all related 
consequences, including the absence or poor conditions of roads, which keeps many rural 
communities  isolated,  limiting  their  access to markets  and  essential  social  services.  The 
DRC's human capital index stands at 0.37  – meaning a Congolese child born today can 
only hope to achieve 37 percent of its potential. The rate of stunting in the DRC is one of 
the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, and malnutrition is the underlying cause of almost half of 
the deaths of children under five.   

Three quarters of the Congolese population – 60 million people – live on less than USD 
1.90 a day, according to the World Bank. Seven out of ten Congolese live in rural areas, 

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DG ECHO reports on food security 

mostly subsistence farmers in conditions of precariousness and poverty. Increases in food 
prices have further reduced the purchasing power of the Congolese population.  

Climate  change:  The  DRC  is  prone  to  numerous  natural  disasters,  including  volcanic 
eruptions, earthquakes, flooding, landslides, and drought, as well as epidemics, which have 
become more frequent in recent years. The Congo River Basin is expected to be heavily 
affected by climate change, with rising temperatures and extreme weather events, such as 
floods.  

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

• 

Initial allocation of EUR 44 million in 2022, including one third on Food Security & 
Livelihoods (including Multipurpose Cash Transfers - MPCT, which accounts for the 
large  majority)  and  5.5  percent  for  nutrition.  Current  budget  stands  at  EUR  54.4 
response 
through  DG  ECHO 
million,  partly  delivered 
projects/mechanism.  ECHO  Humanitarian  Food  Assistance  focuses  on  newly 
emerging needs linked to conflict and recent displacements. The EUR 14.5 million 
allocated  to  FSL/MPCT  represents  1.9  percent  of  the  FSL  needs  for  the  DRC 
according to the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), and the EUR 2.5 million in 
nutrition less than one percent of the nutrition needs described in the HRP. 

funded 

rapid 

Other actors 

•  US  funding  stands  at  USD  426.3  million,  representing  68.4  percent  of  all  HRP 

funding so far in 2022).  

Needs and opportunities  

The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for the DRC requires USD 1.88 billion. It was 33.1 
percent funded on 29 August 2022, according to OCHA. WFP needs USD 111 million for 
its emergency response to cover the second semester in 2022. 

There is a need to develop a clearer picture of nexus opportunities, and possible links with 
humanitarian interventions. 

Source: Global Report on Food Crises 2022, Mid-year update 

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Mali 

Situation and evolution 

The country faces an important deterioration of its Food security situation in 2022 with a 
41% increase of food insecure people (IPC/CH3+) during the lean season in comparison to 
2021  (an  84%  increase in  comparison to  the  last  5-year  average).  More than  1.8 million 
people are food insecure, including 157,000 in pre-famine situation (IPC 4).  

According to the WFP Hunger Map (August 2022), 63% of Malians (12 million people) have 
insufficient food consumption, which represents an increase of more than 2 million people 
in the last 3 months; and 32% (6.3 million people) have adopted crisis feeding strategies. 
3.4 million people need humanitarian nutrition assistance, of which 309,000 severe acute 
malnourished children need immediate live-saving assistance. As of July 2022, weak grain 
stocks are reported, and the price of basic traditional food such as millet, sorghum, maize, 
rice  increased  respectively  in  average  by  +69%,  +59%,  +57.3%,  +9.6%  to  +11.1%  in 
comparison to last year same period. The increase in the value of the Minimum Expenditure 
Basket  varies  from  +17%  (national  average)  to  +33%  (insecure  and  conflict  areas). 
Increased  cost  of  fuel  (+  24%  in  August  since  January)  impacts  food  prices  and  cost  of 
assistance. 

The crisis is critically underfunded (only 27% of Mali HRP was funded as of August 2022), 
with critical gaps in food security and nutrition sectors. WFP announces a 64% pipeline gap 
for all kind of Emergency Food Assistance as of September 2022 until January 2023. At the 
end of June 2022, only 1.4 million people were assisted (50% of caseload) with a 77% gap 
in livelihood support. 

Drivers 

Worsening conflict, violence against civilians, and extension of conflicts affected areas are 
the main drivers of food insecurity: limited access to market for population and providers, 
high  and  increasing  insecurity  and  irregular  controls  on  the  main  commercial  roads, 
destruction of land, crops and livelihood by armed actors, restriction of access to land, etc. 
The crisis is aggravated in 2022 by a historic deficit in agro-pastoral production (-15% and 
-10%  compared  to  the  2020  campaign  and  the  last  five  years)  at  the  national  and  sub-
regional level.  

The rise of national, sub-regional and international food prices (cf. FAO Index) since the 
end  of  2021  has  a  significant  impact.  ECOWAS sanctions  on Mali (linked  to the  political 
situation) from January to June 2022 and increased insecurity added additional layers to 
price inflation, in a situation in which EU and EU MS development cooperation is mostly 
suspended. General inflation 2022 is estimated at 7% by the World Bank.  

The country is dependent on imports (14% for cereals, 25% for fuel) and therefore affected 
by the Russian war in Ukraine. In 2019, wheat imports from the two countries accounted for 
40%  of  total  wheat  imports  (accounting  for  60%  of  all  cereal  imports).  Mali  also  imports 
around a quarter of its fertiliser from Russia and Belarus. The lack of fertiliser, or delay in 
provision  this  year,  could  have  an  impact  on  production  and  economic/  food  insecurity 
situation in 2023. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR  40.4  million  allocated  in  2022  (including  contribution  from  Italy  and  IFRC 

Programmatic Partnership).  

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DG ECHO reports on food security 

•  Rapid multisectoral Response (44%) (including food assistance, shelter, wash and 
NFI); health/nutrition (28%); food assistance (12%); protection (5%); and education 
(6%). DG ECHO provides aid through cash (increasing) and in-kind deliveries. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  EU delegation: EUR 62.5 million including PDU programs in rural areas in 2022. 

•  USAID/BHA:  USD  75  million  including  15-32 million top  up for food  assistance  in 

2022.  

•  GBP 33 million for 35 months from the FCDO/UK Sahel Regional Fund (starting in 

2023). 

Needs and opportunities  

•  Additional short and long-term financial support and scaling up of the response is 
required for more efficient emergency and post-emergency assistance: functionality 
of basic services, livelihood and productive support, infrastructure, durable solutions 
for long-term Internally Displaced Persons, etc. 

•  Continue to play a leading role in coordination and advocacy for the respect of IHL, 
principled  aid  delivery  and  increased  assistance  to  Mali,  and  advocate with  other 
services and donors for increased engagement in Mali. 

•  Opportunities  for  nexus  are  limited  due  to  the  political  crisis  and  security 
environment, with the almost total suspension of development cooperation by EU 
and EU MS.  

Variation in cereal prices in West Africa in June 2022 compared to the five-year average   

Nutrition: voir rapport CO/Juillet 2022 

Mauritania 

Situation and evolution 

In  Mauritania  more  than  20%  of  the  population  is  facing  food  crisis  or  worse,  approx. 
879 000 people). In March 2022, an increase of 82% of food insecure IPC/CH3+ people 
was expected during the lean season versus 2021, or +74% as compared to 5 year average, 
with an increase of 285% of people in CH4 (83,000 people). These projections were made 
before the Russian aggression against Ukraine, with Mauritania being highly reliant on food 

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imports. Malnutrition is concerning but prevalence has remained stable for decades. In spite 
of good forecasts for the agropastoral campaign and the State’s willingness to encourage 
a “return” to farming, other factors such as floods occurring since end of July and high prices 
of food, fertilizers and energy have tempered these positive trends.  

Food  prices  continue  to  increase  since  2021  harvests.  In  June,  price  increases  were 
reported as follows: +73% on oil, + 50% for local beans, +60% for sorghum, +40% for sugar, 
+35%  for  wheat  versus  2021.  The  government  was  not  able  to  sustain  fuel  and  gas 
subsidies,  which  led  to  fuel  price  increase  (so  far  stable  for  more  than  a  decade)  and 
associated social tensions.  

The  response  to  the  food  crisis  is  expected  to  cover  almost  80%  of  the  people  in  need. 
Assistance  is  delivered  by  the  Government  (62%),  WFP  (33%),  NGOs  (5%).  The  food 
basket could not be revised upwards to take into account significant price increases, due to 
lack of funding. Coverage and duration of the assistance (4-month support) were prioritized 
over the level of assistance (about 36% of the food basket). The food situation of the Malian 
refugees  (about  90,000 people,  mainly  children) is  also  continuing  to  deteriorate  despite 
assistance from WFP and partly from the government. 

Drivers 

The  persistence  of  a  high  level  of  poverty  and  extreme  poverty  in  rural  areas  is  the  key 
driver. 

The  limited  access to  food  is  aggravated  by  several factors,  poor  agropastoral  results  in 
2021, high dependency on food imports, high food and input prices, and extreme weather 
events such as droughts and floods.  

Mauritania has a 70% dependency on food imports (nearly 10% of its GDP) with 50% of its 
imported wheat coming from Russia and Ukraine. 

Mauritania is currently exposed to a high risk of debt distress and therefore has limited fiscal 
space to manage this situation effectively. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR 8.6 million in 2022: Food assistance (40%), health and nutrition (24%), disaster 
preparedness (18%),  education (15%),  logistic  support  (3%).  DG  ECHO provides 
food assistance mainly through cash (100% of food ration through cash and local 
enriched flour in kind). 

•  EU is a leading actor on diplomacy and coordinated humanitarian advocacy. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  EU Delegation rural development program (Rimrap, Rimdir, Rimfil: EUR 46 million) 
in the closing phase – Top up of 12 million considered with EDF leftover funds. 

•  USAID/BHA: USD 9 million, including USD 5 million top up for food assistance in 

2022 June –July. 

•  World  Bank:  National  social  safety  nets  extension  including  Malian  refugees  of 

Mberra. 

Needs and opportunities  

•  Sustain  coverage  of  the  food  needs  and  ensure  better  mechanisms  to  avoid 

exclusion of the most vulnerable, including refugees.  

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DG ECHO reports on food security 

• 

• 

Increase  long-term  financial  support  and  investment  to  improve  food  security 
sustainably. 

Increase  in  the  State  budget  for  the  agro-pastoral  sector  in  accordance  with  the 
Maputo  commitments6,  while  guaranteeing  better  effectiveness  and  efficiency  of 
public expenditure. 

•  Continue  to  ensure  a  leading  role  in  coordination  and  advocacy for  an  increased 

interest in Mauritania (“forgotten” Sahelian country in west Africa). 

Niger 

Situation and evolution 

The 2022 March IPC analysis (based on data from before the Russian aggression against 
Ukraine) shows an increase of 91% of food insecure people in IPC/CH3+ expected in the 
lean season 2022 versus 2021 and 166% more than the last 5-year average, reaching 4.4 
million  people,  with  an  increase  of  95%  of  people  in  IPC  phase  4  (425,805  people)  –  or 
411%  if  calculated  on  the  last  three  years.  This  is  the  highest  caseload  since  the  IPC 
analyses of 2015. From January to June 2022, 190,913 children under five suffering from 
severe  acute  malnutrition  were  admitted  for  treatment  (i.e.,  39%  of  the  annual  target  of 
491,822 SAM). 

Mid-August, the price of the main products consumed, i.e. millet, sorghum, maize and rice, 
changed on average by +8, −3, −4 and +3% respectively, compared to 2021, and by +13, 
6, 14 and 9% respectively, compared to the last 5 years. The prices of basic goods continue 
to increase, in particular milk and flour. The Minimum Food Expenditure Basket (Food MEB) 
cost was revised at the end of November 2021 with an increase of 22%. 

There has been a significant pre-lean state response in 2022 and significant progress in the 
mobilization of actors and the government for the 2022 emergency food response: at the 
end of July, planned food assistance should cover 97 % of the caseload (1.5 million people 
by  the  government,  2.2 million  by  WFP,  0.3 million  by  NGO’s  and  86,000  by ICRC).  1.4 
million people will also be assisted by moderating the price of cereals. The WFP announced 
a  USD  23.5  million  net  funding  requirement  for  the  period  from  August  2022  to  January 
2023. 

Drivers 

The main direct and indirect drivers of the food and nutritional crisis are the consequences 
of the intensification of conflict in neighboring countries Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria). In 
particular,  there  is  a  substantial  deterioration  of  security  and  humanitarian  access  in  the 
Tillabery  area,  and  security  concerns  in  Tahoua,  NW  Nigeria  and  Maradi.  The  crisis  is 
aggravated by a historic deficit of agro-pastoral production which occurred in 2021 (−36% 
compared to the 2020 campaign and the average of the last five years) at the national and 
sub-regional  level  as  well  as  by  the  rise  of  national,  sub-regional  and  international  food 
prices  (cf.  FAO  Index)  since  2021.  The  increase  of  price  of  diesel  fuel  (+24%,  at  the 
beginning of August) and its shortages are additional negative factors. 

6 Programme détaillé pour le développement de l'agriculture africaine (PDDAA), launched in 2003 in Maputo by Heads of 
State and Government under the auspices of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) 

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Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  Close to EUR 42 million have been released to support a multisectoral humanitarian 
response  notably  by  rapid  response  mechanisms.  Food  assistance  (45%),  rapid 
multisectorial  response  to  IDP’s  (21%)  and  health  (8%)  are  the  most  important 
sectors.  DG  ECHO  provides  aid  mainly  through  cash  (increasing)  and  in-kind 
deliveries. 

•  EU is a leading actor in diplomacy and humanitarian advocacy coordination. On 6 
April 2022, DG ECHO co-hosted (with GNAFC, OECD, Club du Sahel) a high-level 
Panel during the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) bi-annual meeting, where 
the  food  insecurity  crisis,  related  drivers  and  insufficient  funding  of  the  response 
were highlighted. EUR 2.5 billion (including funds already planned and development 
funding) have been mobilized for the sub-region targeting households in food crisis. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  EU delegation: FPI, Programme de Developpement d’Urgence (resilience)  in rural 

areas. 

•  USAID/BHA: USD 25 million top up for food assistance in 2022 June –July. 

•  Ongoing reallocation of resources from the World Bank and USD 5.3 million from 

the African Development Bank. 

•  GBP 33 million for 35 months from the FCDO/UK Sahel Regional Fund (starting in 

2023). 

Needs and opportunities  

•  Need  for  more  efficient  and  scaled-up  response  to  essential  basic  needs  and 

prioritization of assistance to vulnerable households.  

•  Additional  short  and  long-term  financial  support  is  required  as  well  asor  more 
efficient emergency and post-emergency assistance of food assistance but also of 
livelihood, of productive sectors and infrastructure in rural areas. 

• 

Increase the funding efforts and advocacy of the EU and other partners.  

•  Accelerate  the  concrete  operationalization  of  the  Nexus  and  its  monitoring  and 

evaluation, for IDPs. 

Nigeria 

Situation and evolution 

19.5 million people are projected in CH Phase 3 to 5 during the 2022 lean season, up by 
52% from 2021.  Severe food needs remain very high in the overall country, especially in 
the  Northeast  (Borno,  Adamawa  and  Yobe  States  -  BAY)  and  in  the  North-West,  where 
acute food needs have significantly increased over the years along with acute malnutrition. 
According to the available information, almost 40% of households in Borno, Adamawa and 
Yobe  have  inadequate  food  consumption  during  the  current  lean  season.  Only  33%  of 
cultivating households have some food stocks remaining and only 16% have stocks that 
will last longer than a month. The ongoing local policy to close all IDP camps in and around 
Maiduguri (7 camps closed out of the existing 9) only reduces access to those in need.  

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The Humanitarian Situation Monitoring of June 2022 in BAY States shows concerning food 
consumption  deficits  and  limited  diversity  of  diets  in  the  inaccessible  areas  surveyed. 
Almost  half  of  the  households  struggle  to  have  sufficient  food  intake  and  nearly  68% 
experienced a crisis or higher levels (IPC Phase 3+) of food deprivation and hunger.  39% 
of  the  households  relied  on  crisis  coping  strategies  to  meet  their  food  needs,  which 
heightens economic vulnerability. The levels of acute malnutrition among new arrivals from 
the inaccessible areas are serious (Phase 4 IPC Acute Malnutrition Classification) with the 
overall Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate at 16.9% and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) 
at 6.3%. The high levels of acute malnutrition indicate an extremely stressed population in 
relation  to  food  insecurity.  Overall,  both  crude  and  under  five  mortality  rates  (CMR  and 
U5MR) were above the emergency thresholds.  

In  the  Northeast  of  Nigeria,  the  returnee  population  includes  more  than  1.8  million  IDP 
returnees and 323,277 returnees from abroad (former refugees). 

Drivers 

• 

Insecurity linked to ongoing conflict between non-State armed groups (NSAG) and 
government security forces (Northeast), banditry (North West) and intercommunal 
clashes remain the key drivers of food insecurity. Farmers struggle to access their 
lands  and  cultivate  their  fields,  while  herders  cannot  move  their  livestock  freely. 
Many  local  government  areas  remain  completely  or  partially  inaccessible  for 
humanitarian assistance. Climate change is another root cause, which reduces the 
resilience  of  community  and  fuels  intercommunity  violence  on  the  use  of  natural 
resources.  The  elevated  levels  of  consumption  gaps,  malnutrition,  mortality,  and 
unsustainable  use  of  emergency  coping  strategies  (people  spend  their  savings, 
borrow  money  and  sell  their  assets/goods.  Emergency  coping  strategies  are 
begging  or  selling  land  or  a  house.  Crisis  strategies  is  translated  in  withdrawing 
children from school and selling productive assets or means of transport), are largely 
driven  by  the  limited  availability  of  food  stocks,  restricted  access  to  functional 
markets  and  poor  water,  health  and  sanitation  services,  which  might  heighten 
morbidity risk, and impact more negatively on households' ability to engage in labour 
for food or resource gathering. The war against Ukraine has worsened the situation 
with  skyrocketing  prices  affecting  basic  food  commodities  but  also  agricultural 
inputs, which affects the production capacities of farmers.  

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  2022 budget: EUR 49.5 million, focused on the Northeast crisis.  

•  Sectors: Food assistance (23%), health and nutrition (16%), protection (16%) and 
WASH/Shelter (16%)  are  priority sectors.  DG  ECHO  provides  aid mainly  through 
cash, vouchers and in-kind deliveries. 

•  Advocacy: EU/ECHO is a leading voice in humanitarian advocacy in the Northeast. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  BHA,  and  to  some  extent  FCDO,  focusing  on  emergency  food  assistance 

programming.  

•  BHA has recently validated a significant top-up of USD 38 million to WFP to address 
the consequences of the food crisis, bringing their total budget to WFP to USD 338 
million. 

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Needs and opportunities  

• 

Improve prioritization of assistance and vulnerability assessment, ensuring greater 
coverage for the most vulnerable groups, including through the decommitted EDF 
funds for food emergency assistance. 

•  Assist secondly forcibly displaced people from the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council 

(MMC) and Jere camp closure.  

•  Leverage funding to assist all vulnerable IDPs in the garrison towns’ camps who do 

not have access to long-term sustainable livelihood opportunities.  

•  Where feasible, immediately support agriculture in this the crop season to ensure 

better agricultural production. 

2.2.East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 

Situation and evolution 

The severity of food insecurity in Ethiopia is among the worst globally due to the impacts of 
ongoing conflict and violence, and climatic shocks such as the prolonged drought. The HRP 
2022 indicates that 20 million people are in need of food assistance.  

Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes will likely be widespread in 
multiple areas of the country. Tigray is expected to remain the area of highest concern until 
the  start  of  the  harvest  in  October  2022.  The  latest  WFP  Food  Security  Assessment  in 
Tigray in June 2022 found 89% of households as food insecure and 47% as severely food 
insecure (of a population of 6 million). The situation could rapidly worsen since, as of the 
time of writing (29 August), renewed fighting took place between the warring parties. This 
could possibly signify a return to large-scale military conflict.  

The revised updated Horn of Africa Drought Regional Overview (24 August 2022) indicated 
that nearly 10 million people are in need of food assistance in the drought affected areas. 
To date, more than 3.5 million livestock have died, while at least 25 million are at risk and 
are very weak and emaciated with no or little milk production, the main source of nutrition 
for children. Most recent forecasts project that the October to December season will also 
be below average, setting the stage for an unprecedented fifth failed rainy season.  

Increase  in  malnutrition  is  reported  from  across  the  country.  People  in  need  of  nutrition 
support are estimated to be 7.5 million (both Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate 
Acute  Malnutrition  (MAM)  U5  and  Pregnant  Lactating  Women  (PLW)).  There  is  a 
widespread  shortage  of  F-75  in  the  country  and  irregular  availability  of  SC+  and  MAM 
commodities affecting the nutritional treatment.  

Scaled-up  and  sustained  food  assistance,  as  well  as  unfettered  humanitarian  access,  is 
needed immediately to save lives.  

Drivers 

Conflict in the northern part of the country that affects three regional states directly (Tigray, 
Afar and Amhara). In addition, several other parts of the country are impacted by localised 
conflicts that further worsen the food and nutrition security of the affected populations.  

Drought in the East, South and South-Eastern part of the country, currently affecting Afar, 
Somali Regional State, Southern Oromia and Southern SNNPR.  

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The  crisis  in  Ukraine  and  macro-economic  situation  have  affected  the  food  import  and 
market prices. In June 2022, inflation across the country reached the highest rate in Eastern 
Africa (34 percent). Only during the first half of 2022 food prices increased by 26% and the 
cost of the food basket by 33% (65.2% in one year). Despite price control measures, petrol 
prices showed a marked increase compared with pre-war levels (up 16%). Between June 
2022 and June 2021, Ethiopia recorded one of the highest year-on-year depreciations of 
local currency, down by 194 percent, against the USD. 

Limited access, due to insecurity as well as major bureaucratic impediments, is limiting the 
capacity of humanitarian agencies to deliver, particularly in Tigray. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR  58  million  allocated  in  2022  (plus  8  million  under  the  upcoming  EDF 

decommitted funds). 

•  Food assistance (12%), WASH (7%), Health (13%), Nutrition (19%), S/NFIs (5%), 
protection  (7%),  DRR/DP  (15%),  Coordination  (4%),  logistic  (7%)  education  (6%) 
and cash (6%). 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  The Ethiopian Humanitarian Country Team (EHCT) produced a dedicated drought 
response plan (USD 1.66 billion) to which contributions have been made, mainly by 
the US (over USD 400 million). Currently the plan is largely under-funded. 

•  The Ethiopia Safety net program has a crisis/shock response capacity besides its 

routine response covering over 8 million people. 

Needs and opportunities  

•  Large  scale  crisis  with  limited  response  capacity.  Scaling  up  of  the  response  is 

urgently required. 

•  No comprehensive data collection and analysis. Need to produce more specific and 

tangible data and specific analyses to support targeted responses.  

•  Need  to  enhance  support  from  development  actors  to  build  further  resilience  of 

affected communities. 

Kenya 

Situation and evolution 

According to the findings of the long rain assessment (MAM season), 3.5 million people are 
food  insecure  in  the  Arid  and  Semi-Arid  Land  regions  (ASAL),  with  Marsabit,  Wajir,  and 
Mandera counties facing IPC Phase 4 food security outcomes between March and June 
2022. Significant deteriorations were also reported in Mandera and Wajir, moving them from 
IPC Phase 3 to Phase 4.  

The  drought-induced  decline  in  crop  production  and  the  related  reduced  availability  of 
cereals on markets has increased food prices. The fallout of Ukraine’s war adds onto this, 
as  increased  production  costs (fuel  and  inputs) are  also  contributing  to the  price  spikes. 
Due to reduced availability, food inflation is exceeding annual inflation in Kenya, with food 
price increases almost double the annual inflation (13.8 vs. 7.9 percent). Over the last year 
the price of the local food basket has increased particularly for maize, flour and wheat/grains 

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(up to 123%), thus leading to a significant increase of the Minimum Expenditure Basket (up 
to 35% in Turkana County only).   

Up to 70 percent of the cropland in the ASALs was affected by the severe drought. Cereal 
production prospects are therefore unfavourable, likely leading to a fourth consecutive poor 
harvest. 

Estimates indicate that at least 2.4 million livestock have died in Kenya. Water availability 
for livestock is also at below-normal levels and is expected to deteriorate quicker than usual 
during the June to September dry season. For all livestock species combined across the 
six assessed Kenyan counties (Garissa, Kitui, Kwale, Laikipia, Marsabit and West Pokot), 
the Body Condition Score (BCS) in June 2022 was found to be poor. 

Drivers 

Limited access to food is compounded by several factors:  

•  Climatic shocks: four consecutives poor rainy seasons have led to severe droughts. 

•  Cost  and  availability  of  fuel:  high  fuel  prices  are  pushing  up  the  inflation  rate, 
including food inflation rates, leading to a significant increase in the overall cost of 
living.   

•  August political elections: the political campaigns have diverted the needed attention 

from the current drought.  

•  Localised population movements linked to resource-based tensions: local conflicts 
over resources (among the ASAL pastoral communities) as well as increased cross-
border displacement induced by the drought (with reports of over 25,000 individuals 
newly arrived in Dadaab refugee camp alone).  

•  The worsening economic crisis: the effects of low incomes, the depreciation of the 

Kenyan shilling against the US dollar. 

•  The  Russian  invasion  of  Ukraine  is  contributing  to  the  increase  of food  prices  on 
local market, particularly for wheat, further highlighting the dependency on imported 
goods such as fertilizers, fuel, and wheat.  

Ongoing interventions 

The drought appeal launched by OCHA in 2021 is 131.4% funded with the US being by far 
the largest contributor with 94.5% of the requirements met with their recent pledge. 

ECHO interventions 

•  Total funding HIP 2022: EUR 16.4 million. 

•  Ratio/percentage  of  allocation  for  priority  sectors:  Food  assistance  (WFP  EUR  4 
million + Kenya Cash Consortium EUR 1.5 million for MPCA), health and nutrition 
(IRC EUR 2.4 million + UNICEF EUR 1 million).  

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  Funding from other main stakeholders such as USAID, FCDO, DE, etc: Germany 
USD  2,170,154  (Committed);  Sweden  USD  1,027,855  (committed);  Norway  USD 
1,761,841 (paid). In August, the U.S. government committed USD 310.9 million in 
emergency assistance to tackle the consequences of the severe drought. 

Needs and opportunities  

•  Funding gap: additional short and long-term financial support is required. 

• 

Improve prioritisation of assistance for the most vulnerable groups. 

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•  Explore nexus possibilities with the EDF decommitted fundsallocations (ECHO EUR 
2.5 million for Kenya and Djibouti and INTPA EUR 10 million for food production).   

•  Advocate with other services and donors for increased engagement in Kenya. 

Source: Global Report on Food Crises 2022, Mid-year update 

Madagascar 

Situation and evolution 

Around 1.68 million people out of the 5.25 million people of the Grand Sud and Grand Sud-
Est regions of Madagascar analysed are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity 
(IPC Phase 3+) between April and August 2022. In the Grand Sud, although the situation 
remains fragile, it has improved compared to April 2021. However, 33% of the population 
in the Grand Sud is still highly food insecure (IPC Phase 3+), including 122,000 people in 
IPC Phase 4. 

In the coming months, both for the first projection period (September to November 2022) 
and for the second projection (December 2022 to March 2023), a deterioration in the food 
security  situation  is  expected.  While  seasonal  price  drops  have  been  observed  for  most 
staple  foods  in  recent  months,  prices  remain  higher  than  both  last  year  and  the  5-year 
average, demonstrating the rising cost of living for households. Rising gasoline prices are 
expected to contribute to continued increases in food prices, especially in the Grand Sud, 
where markets are dependent on imported and locally produced staples being transported 
long distances from surplus producing areas in other regions. 

Drivers 

The food insecurity currently experienced in Madagascar is driven by several factors and 
notably: (i)  Southern Madagascar  continues  to  experience  its  worst  drought  in  40  years, 
leaving part of the population fighting for survival. More than 3 years of consecutive severe 
drought have wiped out harvests and hampered access to food in Grand Sud; (ii) Between 

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Mid-January  and  April  2022,  six  tropical  cyclones  and  storms  hit  Madagascar.  The 
2021/2022 cyclonic season affected more than 960,000 people in the North and Southern 
part of the country. Floods affected about 60,000 hectares of rice fields, which resulted in a 
below-average  harvest  in  May,  undermining  both  farmers’  livelihoods  and  food  supply  in 
country; (iii)  the government’s  action  in raising gasoline  prices  in  July  by  43%,  while  the 
price  of  diesel  increased  by  44%.  Price  shocks  within  the  COVID-19  context  and  the 
Russian invasion of Ukraine combined with crop losses due to climatic phenomena have 
the  potential  to  transform  the  creeping  inflation  rate  into  galloping  inflation;  and  (iv) 
insecurity  related  to  bandits  in  the  Grand  Sud  restricts  people’s  movement  and  affects 
livelihoods, amplifying food insecurity. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

• 

In 2022, EU humanitarian assistance amounted to EUR 12.4 million to respond to 
the food insecurity and nutrition emergency needs. This includes EUR 1.9 million to 
respond to the 2021/2022 cyclonic season and EUR 4 million newly allocated to the 
humanitarian  response  to  support  the  scale-up  of  food  assistance  delivery.  In 
addition,  EUR  1  million  is  being  allocated  to  reinforce  Early  Warning  Systems  to 
drought in Grand Sud along a nexus approach with EU delegation.  

•  Priority  sectors:  Food  Assistance  (WFP  EUR 6 million)  (48%),  Nutrition (UNICEF 
EUR 2 million, ACF EUR 1.5 million) (28%) and MPCT (WFP EUR 1 million) (8%).   

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  The  flash  appeal  launched  on  18  January  2021  has  been  further  extended  until 
December  2022  with  additional  funding  requirement  of  USD  158.6  million  for  the 
period  May  -  December  2022,  including  USD  114.8  million  for  the  Food  Security 
sector. USA, Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and SIDA represent the 
main contributors in 2022.  

•  Total  funding  towards  food  insecurity  in  2022:  USD  67,177,021  including  ECHO 
(some  of  the  funding  received  in  2022  are  not  part  of  the  latest  flash  appeal 
extension until December 2022). 

Needs and opportunities  

•  10th/11th EDF decommitted funds allocation to DG ECHO provisionally earmarked 
EUR 4 million for food assistance in 2022 to vulnerable populations in the Grand 
Sud and South-East of Madagascar. 

•  10th/11th EDF decommitted funds allocation to DG INTPA provisionally earmarked 
EUR  10  million  for  boosting  agricultural  production  in  Madagascar  (expected 
duration: 7.5 years). 

•  The  EU  development  cooperation  programming  for  the  next  period  includes 
structuring 
the  Grand  Sud.  The  EU’s  Development 
Programming  in  Madagascar  (country-wide)  amounts  to  EUR  325  million  for  the 
2021-2024  period.  The  three  priority  areas  are:  1)  Governance  and  human 
development, 2) Sustainable growth and jobs and 3) Green Deal. 

long-term  activity 

in 

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Mozambique 

Situation and evolution 

Between  April  and  September  2022,  1.4  million  people  (10%  of  the  population)  are 
projected to face Crisis or worse conditions (IPC Phase 3+), including approximately 24,000 
in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). The large majority, 1.1 million people in Crisis or worse (IPC 
Phase 3+), including 23,500 in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), are in the northern provinces of 
Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Niassa and Zambezia. This is an 18% year-on-year increase. The 
rise in global food and non-food costs is resulting in higher living costs in Mozambique. In 
June, the year-on-year inflation rate increased to 10.81%, the highest value in over 4 years. 
Typically, food prices decreased between May and July, driven by increased market supply 
following the annual harvest, but high transportation costs and increased demand for non-
wheat products (maize, cassava, sweet potato) are keeping food prices high. In June, fuel 
prices increased an additional 4-19%, following previous price increases in March and May. 
With the deepening of the Ukraine crisis, there are concerns about the impact on local prices 
and availability as the region is a net importer of wheat and edible oil, energy, and fertilizers. 

Drivers 

The main drivers of food insecurity in the current period include: (i) the armed conflict in 
Cabo Delgado province which - according to IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) of 
30  June  2022  has  displaced  946,508  people;  (ii)  shortage  of  rainfall  or  irregular  rains  in 
parts of Nampula, Tete, Manica, Gaza, Inhambane and Maputo provinces; (iii) increasing 
food prices; (iv) impact of COVID-19 restrictive measures. Moreover, at the beginning of 
2022,  the  northern  provinces  were  hit  by  two  severe  extreme  weather  events  which  left 
more than 700,000 people in need of food and shelter. The southern regions on the other 
hand, were adversely affected by a lack of rainfall during the same period, which resulted 
in  moderately  drier  than  average  conditions.  Throughout  February  and  until  mid-March 
severe drought conditions developed in the south of the country.  

Mozambique  depends  on  import for  90%  of  its wheat  and  sunflower seed  oil needs; the 
country imports more than a third (39%) of its wheat from Russia (31%) and Ukraine (8%) 
combined. Mozambique currently imports almost 20% of fertilizers from Russia. Elevated 
global fertilizer prices are concerning as reduced availability/accessibility will result in lower 
food production in Mozambique, which in turn would result in higher food import needs at a 
time when global food prices are rising steeply.  

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR 20 million allocated to Mozambique in 2022 (HIP22: EUR 14 million; SEAR: 5 

million; Alert: EUR 1 million). 

•  Food Assistance (20%), Nutrition (5%) and Multi-Purpose Cash Transfers (6.7%). 

DG ECHO provides aid mainly through in-kind and cash deliveries. 

•  EU  NutriNorte  (AAP  22)  allocates  EUR  30  million  on  Nutrition  for  a  duration  of  5 
years  (2022-2027)  targeting  the  provinces  of  Zambezia,  Nampula  and  Cabo 
Delgado. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  On  20  July  2022,  USAID  pledged  USD  116  million  in  additional  assistance  to 
respond  to  needs,  including  severe  food  insecurity,  in  Mozambique.  This  funding 
brings US humanitarian assistance to Mozambique to USD 167 million in Fiscal Year 
2022. 

•  OCHA HRP 2022 in Northern Mozambique (Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa): 

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DG ECHO Reports on food security 

o  a total of 1.01 million - 104% of 970,000 people targeted - have been reached 
with humanitarian food and livelihoods assistance. This represents 92% of 
total people in need (1.1 million). 

o  a total of 84,000k – 41% of 203,000 people targeted – have been reached 
with nutrition intervention. This is 26% of total people in need (327,000). 

•  Needs and opportunities 10th/11th EDF decommitted funds allocation to DG-ECHO. 
Provisionally, EUR 8 million earmarked for Food Assistance in 2022 to vulnerable 
populations in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. 

•  10th/11th EDF decommitted funds INTPA allocation provisionally earmarked EUR 
15  million  for  expansion  of  ongoing  agricultural  programme  in  Nampula  to 
Zambezia, Tete, Manica, Sofala and Gaza. Duration: 7.5 years. 

Somalia 

Situation and evolution 

Extreme drought has put 17 districts at Risk of Famine, with an official declaration of famine 
in the Baidoa and Burhakaba districts (Bay Region) on 5 September (famine projected in 
October  unless  action  is  undertaken).  7.1  million  people  are  acutely  food  insecure  and 
213,000  people  are  experiencing  catastrophic food  insecurity (IPC/CH Phase  5).  Over  1 
million  people  have  been  displaced  by  extreme  drought  affecting  90%  of  the  country. 
Malnutrition  and  disease  outbreaks  have  spiked  though  responses  have  mitigated  the 
situation. Compared to the same period in 2021, admissions of severe wasting cases have 
increased 48%. 

Annual inflation rose to 7% in June 2022, the highest since 2005. Compared to the 5-year 
average,  the  food  MEB  cost  has  increased  dramatically  in  all  regions,  e.g.  Bay,  Lower 
Shabelle  and  Middle  Juba  with  increases  of  112%,  60%,  and  56%  respectively,  it  has 
become the most expensive food basket in Eastern Africa. In Mogadishu, diesel prices have 
increased by 86% compared to the same period last year and 53% since January. Livestock 
prices have decreased by 25% to 33% per head due to increased supply of animals with 
poor  body  conditions.  This  is  negatively  impacting  the  terms  of  trade  and  drastically 
reducing the amount of food households can purchase in exchange for their livestock. Food 
imports have decreased significantly - in May by 71% compared to the previous month and 
75% compared to last year. In comparison with the 5-year average, food imports decreased 
by  53%  (due  to  lower  purchasing  power  of  households  affected  by  micro-  and 
macroeconomic  conditions,  regional  competition  for  substitute  items,  and  the  inability  of 
Somali households to keep pace with global price spikes). 

Cross border trade between Somalia and Ethiopia at Feerfeer border point halted in July 
due to armed confrontations between Ethiopian forces and Al Shabaab and US airstrikes.  

Drivers 

The March to June rainy season was extremely poor, with rainfall amongst the lowest in 70 
years, a fourth consecutive failed season. Staple food prices have more than doubled or 
tripled.  Groundwater  levels  are  decreasing  at  alarming  rates  from  over-pumping.  Water 
trucking for domestic and animal use has intensified. The Juba and Shabelle River have 
little water for crop irrigation. Forecasts indicate a below-average upcoming rainy season. 
Drought conditions are expected to deteriorate in the coming months, which is the primary 
driver of new displacement. This will affect availability and prices of food. Armed conflict 
also forces people to displace, disrupts supply chains, and results in elevated costs in areas 
with limited road or air-only access.  

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The war in Ukraine is compounding these shocks. Exceptionally high fuel prices are pushing 
up inflation, leading to an increase in the overall cost of living. Higher transportation costs 
are also reflected in price of food paid by consumers. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO has allocated EUR 80 million since December 2021 to the drought response, EUR 
61.5 million in 2022, and launched a Humanitarian Air Bridge to deliver emergency supplies 
to hard-to-reach areas. An estimated 50 to 70 flights will transport 650 metric tonnes of life-
saving nutrition and health commodities to underserved and hard-to-reach locations.  

The  UN  Emergency  Relief  Coordinator  has  announced  a  System-Wide  Scale-Up  of  the 
response. The Humanitarian Response Plan is currently 72.6% funded with the main donors 
USAID  USD  840  million;  EU  EUR  52.7  million;  EU  Member  States  EUR  46.9  million 
(Germany  15.7 million; Sweden  14.3  million;  Netherlands  9.7  million;  Denmark  6  million; 
Ireland 5.8 million; Finland 0.9 million; Italy 0.5 million); and the UK USD 36.6 million. Much 
of this assistance is yet to be allocated or dispersed and critical response gaps remain.  

Needs and opportunities  

•  Despite  recent  announcements,  the  crisis  is  underfunded  with  critical  response 

gaps. 

• 

Improved  prioritization  of  assistance  ensuring  greater  coverage  for  the  most 
vulnerable  groups  is  required  to  ensure  what  is  available  is  used  effectively  and 
efficiently. 

•  Support the System-Wide Scale-Up to operationalise plans and deliver at scale. 

•  Advocate  with  other  services  and  donors  for  increased  engagement  on  Somalia 

through additional funding or reorientation of existing ones. 

Source: Global Report on Food Crises 2022, Mid-year update 

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South Sudan 

Situation and evolution 

About 7.74 million (63%) South Sudanese are acutely food-insecure (IPC 3+). Of these, 87 
000 are experiencing catastrophic food insecurity conditions (IPC 5) in Jonglei, Lakes and 
Unity. About 1.34 million children under five years old are malnourished, representing an 
increase of 18% compared to 2021 (Nutrition SMART Surveys).  

Protracted  and  localised  conflict  and  insecurity  significantly  disrupted  farming,  livestock, 
and  trade  activities  in  multiple  areas  across  the  country.  This  has  eroded  household 
capacity to access food and income. In addition, persistent flooding, combined with pockets 
of drought, is likely to reduce production in the subsistence farming during the upcoming 
harvest season. The overall cereal production deficit in 2022 is estimated at around 541,000 
tonnes, representing 40% of South Sudan’s cereal needs, an increase by 16% of the 2021 
deficit and the five-year average (2017 – 2021). Persistent macroeconomic shocks leading 
to hyperinflation have led to market price volatility. Impacts of both COVID-19 and war in 
Ukraine make the situation worse. Between mid-2021 and mid-2022, the fuel prices in the 
country increased by 43% (UNHAS).  

Floods in June-October (main rain season), increase the risk of water-borne diseases and 
deteriorate  the  WASH  conditions.  With  the  lean  season,  it  leads  to  a  trend  of  rising 
malnutrition. 

Drivers 

•  Recurring  flooding  and  subnational  violence,  including  intercommunal  conflicts, 
cattle  raiding,  and  proxy-war  instigated  by  Juba-based  political  leaders  trigger 
population displacement, livelihoods’ destruction, trading reduction and roads and 
supply chains’ cuts. 

•  The  country  is  heavily  reliant  on  food  and  non-food  commodity  imports  from 
Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda. Any increase in production and transport costs from these 
countries and elsewhere will be passed on to the South Sudanese consumer, whose 
purchasing power is already compromised.  

•  Regional tensions (Ethiopia and Sudan) have led to (temporary) closures of supply 
roads and/or borders, reducing the trading and impoverishing market supplies and 
the WFP’s supplies too. The dependency on international supplies also makes the 
country more sensitive to macro-economic shocks for food commodities, fertilizers 
and other agricultural inputs. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  As of August 2022, the ECHO SSD HIP is worth EUR 73.7 million. The funding is 
divided  between  food  and  nutrition  (32%),  health  (17%),  protection  (9%),  WASH 
(8%),  Cash/Multi-Purpose  Cash  Transfers  (5%),  Camp  Coordination  and  Camp 
(18%). 
Management 
Programmatic  Partnerships:  UNICEF  is  contracted  for  nutrition  (EUR  5  million); 
IFRC  for  disaster  preparedness  (EUR  2  million)  including  MPCT;  &  Concern  for 
nutrition and health (EUR 2 million).  

(4%)  and  coordination/logistics 

(5%),  EiE 

(CCCM) 

•  ECHO  finances  emergency  food  assistance  in  IPC  4  and  5  areas.  Agricultural 
production and road feeders’ rehabilitation are also funded in a nexus approach. 

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Humanitarian funding gap 

•  The 2022 HRP is only 32% funded as of August 2022.  

•  Late  and  low  funding  (-20%  compared  to  2021),  led  to  cutting  1.7  million 
beneficiaries  from  General  Food  Distribution  (GFD).  IPC  2,  3  and  partly  4  areas 
were not covered since May 2022. However, WFP is changing its plan to cover again 
a total of 6.1 million people in country. 

•  Food,  Security  and  Livelihoods  (FSL)  cluster  is  also  only  32%  funded  (USD  441 

million gap out of USD 650 million required). 

Other actor’s main interventions 

•  Key  donors  (BHA/USAID,  FCDO)  dedicate  large  part  of  their  funding  to  food 
assistance  and  nutrition,  being  the  most  critical  lifesaving  sectors  with  health  in 
country. 

Needs and opportunities  

•  The South Sudan crisis is underfunded, with deteriorating food security and nutrition 

situation. 

•  Pursue  coordination  efforts  with  WFP  /  FSL  actors  to  increase  cash  modality 
wherever feasible and reinforce coordination with development donors to scale up 
long-term investments on agriculture, basic services and infrastructures. 

•  Monitor malnutrition closely. 

•  Activate collective diplomatic advocacy towards the Government of South Sudan to 

enforce law and reduce violence. 

Uganda 

Situation and evolution 

According to the IPC data released at the end of May 2022 for Karamoja, 518,000 people 
are in urgent need of food assistance: 428,000 individuals in IPC3 and almost 90,000 in 
IPC4.  In  addition,  91,600  children  under  five  and  9,500  pregnant  women  will  be  acutely 
malnourished  and  in  need  of  treatment  for  the  period  February  2022-January  2023.  In 
refugee settlements, out of the 1.5 million refugees and asylum seekers, 1.4 million rely on 
continuous  food  assistance.  The  poor  production  season  this  year  and  recurrent  natural 
disasters  have  resulted  in  casualties  and  damage  and  loss  of  human  and  animal  lives, 
property damage, destruction of crops and infrastructural developments. In June 2022, the 
average  monthly  price  of  the  local  food  basket  has  increased  by  31%  in  one  year. 
Compared to May 2021, prices in May 2022 changed for beans (4% higher), vegetable oil 
(49% higher), and maize (79% higher). The price of salt is 11% lower. Compared to January 
2022, prices in May 2022 changed for beans (40% higher), vegetable oil (22% higher), and 
maize (50% higher). The price of salt has remained stable. UNHCR’s requirement for 2022 
is  USD 343.4  million  and  as  of  5  July  2022  is  only  22%  funded  (USD 76.6  million).  The 
Country Refugee Response Plan Emergency Appeal for April-June 2022 of USD 48 million 
is only 7% funded with USD 7.28 million received. Due to critical underfunding, WFP has 
since November 2021 implemented a food ration cut: groups of refugee settlements receive 
70%, 60% or 40% of food rations. 

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Drivers 

Conflict: regular influx of refugees from South Soudan and DRC. In Karamoja, localised 
conflict & insecurity.  

Climate shocks and hazards: poor rainfall performance, occasional water logging & flash 
floods.  

Acute Malnutrition: inadequate food and water access, poor dietary diversity, structural 
poverty, low value livelihood options, as well as poor hygiene and sanitation. Low, though 
increasing  access to  improved sanitation  facilities.  Very  poor  levels  of food  consumption 
among children 6-23 months, with only 4% of the children consuming a minimum acceptable 
diet.  

Economic  factors:  the  economic  impacts  of  COVID-19  restrictions  continue  to  limit 
household income sources. The annual inflation rate accelerated to 7.9% in July of 2022, 
the highest since December 2015. The monthly variation rate of the Consumer Price Index 
has  been  1%, the  accumulated  inflation  in  2022  is  6.4%.  Due  to  the  war  in  Ukraine,  the 
prices of the key commodities in general food basked increased by USD 14.1 million (+46%) 
with the highest increase for vegetable oil (+179.2%) and maize (+38%). 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  As  of  August,  the  total  HIP  2022  for  Uganda  is  EUR  34  million:  food  assistance 
(18%); protection (30%); EiE (21%); Health (9%); MPCT (12%); coordination (1%) 
DP (10%). In addition, for Disaster Preparedness, 2 DREF operations (total EUR 
250,000) and Programmatic Partnership with IFRC for EUR 2.6 million. 

 Other actors’ main interventions 

•  Kagera  Water  Pipeline 

including 

Isingiro  Refugee  Hosting  District  (RHD). 
Discussions are ongoing with the EU delegation to access funding from the Flexible 
Mechanism  to  support  the  response  in  Southwest.  US  announced  an  additional 
support  of  USD 82 million:  USD  21  million for  USAID  and  USD 61 million  for  the 
Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM) (USD 41 million for UNHCR, 
USD 20 million to other programs) 

Needs and opportunities  

USD 197 million are required for July 2022 to June 2023, with a current shortfall of USD 63 
million  over  the  next  six  months.  This  shortfall  calls  for  extending  the  donor  base, 
operationalising the needs-based approach and looking for more sustainable and resilient 
solutions in a context of a protracted crisis. 

Zimbabwe 

Situation and evolution 

Zimbabwe  was  added  to  the  FAO/WFP  list  of  Hunger  Hotspots  in  June  2022  due  to  an 
erratic rainfall season and consequent drop in expected crop production (which declined by 
43% nationally and by nearly 50% for communal farmers as compared to last year). This is 
compounded by the effects of persistently high inflation (it has jumped from 132% to 191% 
between May and June), while the local currency (ZWL) has been depreciating against the 
USD and  the  gap  between  the  official and  informal  market rates continues  to  widen.  An 
estimated 2.9 million people in rural areas were food insecure during the January to March 

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2022 lean season according to the Rural Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee 
(ZimVAC) 2022. As per ZimVAC findings, there is a concerning increase in global wasting 
in  38  high  priority  districts.  There  is  also  concern  over  the  low  rates  of  exclusive 
breastfeeding, low dietary diversity, and high rates of micronutrient deficiencies in women, 
adolescents, and children. As Zimbabwe heads for 2023 presidential elections, access to 
reliable food security data is challenging. No IPC has been conducted yet in country, but 
discussions are on-going to hold such an exercise second half of 2022 (tbc). A continuation 
of the Russian aggression against Ukraine could further exacerbate supply disruptions and 
food price, fertilizers and fuel increases.  

Drivers 

The Zimbabwe current food crisis is driven by (i) the significantly below average 2021/22 
crop production; (ii) a protracted economic crisis, characterized by high inflation rates that 
have  sharply  eroded  households’  purchasing  powers;  (iii)  spiking  parallel  market  foreign 
currency exchange rates, that is the prime driver of rapidly increasing inflation. Maize meal 
and bread prices in ZWL increased by approximately 50% and 30%, respectively, between 
March and April 2022. In June, food inflation had seen a month-on-month increase of 31.7% 
and  an  increase  of  226.2%  since  June  2021,  contributing  significantly  to  overall  price 
increases on the market; (iv) Prices are anticipated to come under further upward pressure 
given  the  increasing  international  prices.  For  example, fuel  prices  have risen  26  percent 
between March 2021 and 2022. Zimbabwe is 60 and 30 percent import-dependent on wheat 
and sunflower oil, respectively. Further price increases of agricultural inputs (i.e. fuel and 
fertilizers) would diminish households’ ability to purchase these goods for the next cropping 
season, starting from September 2022. Selected basic commodities disappeared mostly in 
formal  markets  and  there  are  fears  of  shortages  for  some  commodities  as  the  macro-
economic  situation  deteriorates.  As  of  July,  and  earlier  than  usual,  poor  households  are 
expected to cope by employing consumption coping strategies and by either intensifying 
existing  livelihood  strategies  or  extending  to  other  measures  or  activities  such  as  petty 
trading, informal mining, and barter. As most poorer households typically earn income in 
ZWL and have limited access to USD, heavy pricing in USD and high ZWL price volatility is 
reducing  purchasing  power  and  access  to  food.  Due  to  these  liquidity  challenges, 
households  in  rural  areas  are  slowly  resorting  to  bartering  using  grains  and  livestock  to 
access certain goods or services.  

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  Current DG ECHO funded interventions in Zimbabwe - excluding regional actions – 

amount to EUR 2 million for 2022. 

•  Total  allocation  supports  actions  in  Disaster  Risk  Reduction  (DRR)  /Disaster 

Preparedness (DP) (IOM EUR 0.5 million and CARE 1.5 million). 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  The African Development Fund has approved a grant of around USD 25.65 million 
to help enhance domestic food production and supply by distributing certified seeds 
and fertilizer. 

Needs and opportunities  

•  10th/11th  EDF  decommitted  funds  allocation  to  DG  ECHO.  Provisionally,  EUR  4 
million has been earmarked for food assistance (through cash in urban settings) in 
2022 for Zimbabwe.  

•  Support  with  actions  that  help  secure  alternative  sources  of  cereal  produce  like 

wheat to replace 55% disrupted due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.   

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Source: Global Report on Food Crises 2022, Mid-year update 

Sudan 

Situation and evolution 

Almost a quarter of Sudan's population, a record 11.7 million people, are estimated to be 
facing  acute  food  insecurity  from  June  to  September.    With  3.1  million  people  in  IPC  4, 
Sudan is one of the countries with the highest number of people in this Emergency level of 
food insecurity. 

Close to 63,652 newly displaced people were recorded in June and July across Sudan as 
a  result  of  localised  conflicts,  bringing  the  total  newly  displaced  for  Sudan  in  2022  to 
151,155. 

The high prevalence of acute malnutrition in Sudan is contributing to increased morbidity 
and  mortality  risks  among  children  under-five  years,  with  an  estimated  650,000  SAM 
children.  Sudan  is  recording  the  highest  yearly  food  inflation  rate  of  the  region  at  106.1 
percent.  Between  July  and  August,  staple  food  prices  increased  seasonally  by  10-15 
percent, remaining approximately 170-235 percent higher than in August 2021 and about 
seven times higher than the five-year average across most monitored markets. Meanwhile, 
on  20  June,  WFP  in  Sudan  announced  that  it  had  been  forced  to  cut  rations  in  half  for 
refugees across the country due to severe funding shortfalls. 

Drivers 

• 

Increase in demand of cereals from Ethiopia and South Sudan increase local cereal 
prices.  

•  Fuel prices continue adversely impacting prices of food and agricultural inputs. 

• 

Increased conflict and insecurity jeopardise access to cultivation land and lead to a 
more significant proportion of households relying on markets.  

•  The  2021-2022  below-average  harvest  requires  Sudan  to  import  2.5MT of  wheat 

from Russia and Ukraine. This will furthermore be hindered by the war.  

•  Lack  of  hard  currency  reserves  in  the  banks  and  continued  devaluation  of  the 

currency.  

•  Above average rains this year have flooded 25,750 hectares of cropland.  

•  The military coup of 25 October 2021 has led to the suspension of some of the long-
term funding (IDA19 of USD 2.3 billion, WB USD 1 billion, US USD 700 million, and 

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the cancellation of the debt relief). The HRP for Sudan is funded at 36.7% according 
to the latest Financial Tracking Service (FTS) from OCHA (31/08/2022).  

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR 46.8 million (HIP 2021 & 2022) allocated for  food security and cash assistance 
projects. An additional Programmatic Partnership with CONCERN for Food Security 
and Livelihoods (FSL) and nutrition for a total amount of EUR 1.25 million. 

•  HIP 2022 – EUR 40 million initial budget: FSL&MPCA 20%, health 19%, protection 
18%,  nutrition  13%,  education  10%,  WASH  6%,  coordination  5%,  support  to 
operations 4%, shelter 3%, crisis modifiers 2%.  

•  DG ECHO participating in all FSL coordination events (cash working group, Food 
Security Livelihood meetings, and WFP donor’s meetings) to advocate and highlight 
the needs and facilitating the WFP Country Director visit to COHAFA discussion. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  Draft report presenting the findings from the Sudan case study on the “HDP Nexus: 

Challenges and Opportunities for its Implementation”.  

•  WFP received EUR 2.5 million from Italy to support emergency nutrition activities 
(May 2022), as well as GBP 3 million from the UK and USD 4.5 million from Japan 
for emergency food assistance (August 2022). 

•  FAO received USD 12 million from CERF to provide essential agricultural inputs to 

farming households (June 2022). 

•  USAID announced more than USD 88 million in additional humanitarian funding for 
the  people  of  Sudan  to  provide  food  assistance  (WFP)  and  support  nutritional 
programming (UNICEF). 

Needs and opportunities  

•  77% funding gap – FSL sector received only USD 162 million. 

•  WFP received USD 100 million from the WB to assist with critical emergency cash 

and food assistance. 

•  Flexibility in adjusting the cash assistance transfer value based on market findings 
allowing partners to keep assistance ongoing despite the increase in market prices. 
Advocate for additional funding from other donors and internally.  

2.3.Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 

Lebanon 

Situation and evolution 

According to WFP, nearly 46% of the Lebanese population were acutely food insecure in 
the  second  half  of  2021,  up  from  32%  in  the  first  half  of  the  year.  Half  of  the  1.5 million 
Syrian refugees in Lebanon are food insecure. 

The  first results  of  an  IPC  classification  exercise  will be  published  in  October  2022.  The 
2022 Global Report on Food Crises indicated that for 2021 Lebanon ranked third globally 
among food-crisis countries hosting the highest numbers of refugees/asylum seekers. The 

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report indicated that acute food insecurity was particularly high among Syrian refugees in 
Lebanon (49%). 

Severe economic, political, and social crisis, compounded by high dependency on imports, 
currency depreciation, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and a global increase in food and fuel 
prices, are adding to the already dire situation in Lebanon. 

To address the emerging bread crisis in the country, a USD 150 million loan from the World 
Bank (WB) to support wheat imports is currently in the approval process by the Lebanese 
Parliament. Currency depreciation and inflation may, however, continue to drive up the cost 
of food. Prices of essential food items have increased since October 2019 (e.g. the price of 
sunflower oil has increased by 4050%). The food costs of the Survival Minimum Expenditure 
Basket (SMEB) in July 2022 have increased by 1522% compared to October 2019, while 
the consumer price index for food and non-alcoholic beverages has increased by 5289% 
since the beginning of the crisis. Food assistance provided in the form of cash covers 58% 
of  the  total  cost  of  the  food  component  of  the  SMEB.  However,  92%  of  Syrian  refugee 
households continued to incur debt to survive, mostly to buy food (93%) and pay rent (49%). 

The  response  framework  is  mainly  split  between  the  Lebanon  Crisis  Response  Plan 
(LCRP),  jointly  drafted  with  the  Lebanese  Government  and  the  OCHA-led  Emergency 
Response Plan (ERP), targeting Lebanese, Palestinians, and migrants. The food Security 
sector under the ERP 2022 is 72% funded (approx. USD48 million out of USD 66. 5 million) 
as  per  FTS  data.  LCRP  funding  for  Food  Security  as  per  Q1-2022  figures  is  14% 
(USD138/975 million), while the funding level for the Basic Assistance sector in Q2 2022 is 
18.2% (USD96.3/530 million). Cash transfers are used to cover food, often at the expense 
of  meeting  other  types  of  needs. WFP  has  a  funding  requirement  for  August  2022  until 
January 2023 of USD422 million. WFP received a contribution USD560 million in 2021, the 
same amount it received for 2020. 

Drivers 

The impact of the severe economic crisis is manifested in the downgrading of the country 
from upper middle-income to lower middle-income country. Low foreign currency reserves 
have  reduced  food  imports,  impacting  the  replenishment  of  supplies,  as  the  country 
depends on imports for 80% of its food needs. Food imports have decreased 21% when 
comparing  the  first  6  months  of  2022  to  the  same  period  in  2021,  mainly  led  by  a  39% 
decrease in imports of live animals and a 30% decrease in cereals. Wheat imports have 
also been impacted by Russia’s war against Ukraine. 

Subsidies provided by the government on essential food items have been lifted, except for 
wheat used to produce staple pita bread, which still has witnessed an 8.6 fold increase in 
price, compared to October 2019. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR 74 million was allocated in 2022, including 38 million (55%) of multi-purpose 
cash  assistance  (MPCA)  contributing  directly  to  food  security  outcomes  and 
targeting vulnerable households - this overall total includes a further EUR 5 million 
allocated from reserves in October to respond to the food security needs occasioned 
by Russia’s war against Ukraine and which is to be contracted shortly. An additional 
EUR  0.5  million,  including  0.1  million  from  DG  ECHO,  is  allocated  to  the  second 
round of the Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA), which includes food security 
indicators.  

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Other actors’ main interventions 

•  The  European  Union,  Germany,  and  the  United  States  of  America  are  the  most 
significant  donors to WFP  in  Lebanon  and  maintained  similar  levels  of  funding  to 
previous years. 

Needs and opportunities  

• 

Improve targeting to ensure greater coverage for the most vulnerable groups. 

•  The  upcoming Joint  analysis  from  different  assessment  frameworks,  Vulnerability 
Assessment  of  Syrian  Refugees  (VASYR),  Multi-Sectoral  Needs  Assessment 
(MSNA), and IPC, will improve the understanding of the situation. 

•  Advocate for regular revision of the cash transfer value to match the increasing cost 
of food and non-food SMEB while ensuring that the caseload is not reduced, and 
the assistance package beneficiaries receive is comprehensive and equitable.  

Source: Northwest Syria Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI), May 2022 

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Syria 

Situation and evolution 

64% of the population is facing food insecurity (13.9 million), with 12 million facing acute 
food insecurity and 1.9 million people at risk of sliding into food insecurity. In June 2022, 
WFP reported that food prices in Syria were 45% higher than in January, and nearly double 
compared to the same time last year.  The costs of supply in Syria will increase by USD1.7 
million per month. In April 2022, WFP was forced to reduce food rations to 995 kcal. The 
crisis  is  severely  underfunded.  Out  of  the  USD1.7  billion  required  under  the  2022 
Humanitarian  Response  Plan  (HRP)  for  the  Food  Security  sector,  only  USD  309  million 
(18%) has been received. 

South-central Syria and Government of Syria controlled areas (GCA) rely on Russia for their 
wheat supply. Between January and May 2022, the prices of wheat flour in GCA increased 
by  35%  and  cooking  oil  by  64%.  Northeast  Syria  (NES)  controlled  by  the  Autonomous 
Administration  of  North  and  East  Syria,  has  not  reported  any  major  food  shortages  and 
maintains  flour reserves  of  1  to  6 months.  However, the  replenishment of  these may  be 
hindered by the increased cost of flour imports, reduced relief flour, and the insufficient local 
wheat  production  which  is  at  great  risk  due  to  the  drought  and  poor  climate  conditions. 
Northwest Syria (NWS), controlled by the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) and the Syrian 
Salvation Government (SSG), is heavily dependent on imports transiting through Turkey, 
many  of  which  originate  from  Ukraine  or  Russia.  The  increase  in  fuel  prices  will  have  a 
knock-on effect on food costs as the cost of transporting food continues to rise. 

Drivers 

Political conflict, economic collapse, the Lebanon financial crisis, war in Ukraine, the Covid-
19 pandemic, climate change resulting in drought, water scarcity and historic low yields are 
the  key  drivers  of  food  insecurity.  Syria  is  currently  facing  one  of  its  worst  water  crises, 
severely  impacting  the  population’s  access  to  both  drinking  and  irrigation  water  directly 
impacting  food  security.  In  NES,  wheat  production  for  the  2020-2021  season  was  at 
1.045MT, down from 2.8MT in 2020 and from 4.1MT before 2011. The forecast for 2022 is 
expected to be in a similar range. In GCA, it is expected that the Syrian Pound will continue 
to depreciate. In NWS, price increases, insufficient reserves, and the inability of the SIG or 
SSG  to  set  up  and  implement  a  fully-fledged  food  security  policy  will  continue  to  have 
adverse effects. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR 135 million allocated in 2022 with approximately 40% of the budget contributing 
directly to food security: in-kind food-basket distributions, cash assistance, livelihood 
and approximately 15% of ECHO budget allocated in early recovery activities. DG 
ECHO has been advocating with the Government of Syria and Central Bank of Syria 
to introduce an adjustable preferential rate for INGOs and UN agencies in order to 
compensate for the depreciation of the Syrian pound and hyperinflation. DG ECHO 
organised  an  event  on food-security  at  the margin  of  the  6th  Brussels conference 
trying to mobilise donor support for a better coordinated response. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  DG NEAR: additional allocation of EUR 10 million for food/livelihoods.  

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Needs and opportunities  

•  Additional short and long-term financial support is required. 

•  Prioritise funding of immediate lifesaving response to vulnerable Syrians, with focus 

on food and nutrition assistance as well as early recovery interventions.  

•  Advocate with other EU services and donors for increased engagement on Syria for 
integrated  programming  that  boosts  ability  of  people  to  earn  a  living.  Livelihoods 
programmes, including agricultural projects, market strengthening, job creation and 
restoration of basic services.   

•  Develop strategies to operate in context of high inflation and depreciation. 

•  Strengthen  humanitarian  cash  and  shock  responsive  social  protection  (SRSP) 

nexus. 

Syria’s compounded economic crisis (2019-2022) 

Source: Whole of Syria Food Security Sector 

Yemen 

Situation and evolution 

19 million people (58% of the population) are projected to experience high levels of acute 
food  insecurity  (IPC  Phase  3  or  above)  in  the  second  half  of  the  year.  Out  of  these,  an 
estimated  11.7 million  people  will experience  crisis  conditions (IPC  Phase  3),  7.1 million 
emergency  conditions  (IPC  Phase  4)  and  close  to  160,000  catastrophic  conditions  (IPC 
Phase 5). These projections were made before the Russian aggression against Ukraine. 
An  update  taking  into  account  the  global  increase  of  food  and  energy  prices  since  the 
beginning of the year is likely to show worsening projections. During the projection period 
of June – December 2022, 233 districts are classified in Phase 4 (Emergency), 94 districts 
in Phase 3 (Crisis) and four districts in Phase 2 (Stressed). 23 districts have been projected 
to have 161,000 persons in Phase 5 (Catastrophe). The severity increases in the projection 

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period, with 86 districts moving to higher IPC Phases, 82 of which move from IPC Phase 3 
(Crisis) to Phase 4. 

Acute Food Insecurity Projection June – December 2022 (IPC Yemen July 2022): Prior 
to the conflict in Ukraine, the national average price of wheat had already risen by 246.7% 
from 122 YER per kilo in 2014 to 423 YER per kilo in September 2021. Between January 
and  July  2022,  wheat  flour  prices  have  increased  by  another  42%  in  the  Internationally 
Recognized  Government  (IRG)  area,  while  it  stayed  stable  at  400  YER  per  kilo  in  the 
Houthis  controlled  areas.  The  Survival  Minimum  Expenditure  Basked  (SMEB)  cost  has 
increased in the same period, especially in the south of Yemen. As wheat imports from India 
have been recognised as a key supply line for Yemen, the IRG on 04 August reported that 
wheat has been secured to cover two and half months of consumption, with 176,400MT of 
wheat available for August–September. Moreover, the HSG Group, Yemen’s largest wheat 
importing company announced that it has secured 250,000MT of wheat, sufficient to supply 
the market until mid-October. 

The Yemen crisis is still underfunded, even if the appeal is now covered at 42.4% (vs. 27.4% 
in  May),  due  to  recent  additional  funding  from  the  US.  In  2021,  an  additional  pledging 
conference was organised in the margins of the UNGA during which over USD 600 million 
was raised. This year however, no second pledging event is foreseen. Out of the USD 2.1 
billion required under the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for the Food Security 
sector, only USD 888 million (42%) have been received leading to a funding gap of USD 
1.2 billion (58%). 

Funding  progress  by  sector  in  Yemen  (OCHA  FTS,  Aug  2022):  The  funding  gap  is 
forcing the World Food Programme (WFP) to further cut food rations. WFP will likely scale 
down their caseload from 13 million to 10.5 million, geographically targeting IPC Phases 4 
& 5 districts as well as 'the most vulnerable' population in IPC Phase 3. 

Reduced rations and suspension of assistance are dangerously becoming the new norm. 
The Food Security actors will inevitably no longer meet the standards of humanitarian food 
assistance. The result could be malnutrition and further impoverishment. 

Drivers 

The  economic  crisis  (effects  of  low  incomes,  depreciation  of  the  Yemeni  currency  and 
irregular or non-payment of salaries of civil servants), continuous conflict, reduced access 
to  basic  services  and  low  humanitarian  food  assistance  are  the  key  drivers  of  food 
insecurity.  The  Russian  war  of  aggression  against  Ukraine  is  also  contributing  to  the 
deterioration  of  the  food  security  situation  in  Yemen.  Yemen  is  90%  dependent  on  food 
imports, with 46% of wheat coming from Russia and Ukraine. 

Restrictions and obstructions of access to services and assistance are major aggravating 
factors for the functioning of the humanitarian response and the private sector hampered 
by  limited  volumes  of  imports.  The  recent  UN-brokered  truce  (started  on  2  April  and 
renewed until 2 October 2022) has led to a reduction of hostilities and a temporary increase 
of fuel imports allowed into the north of Yemen. It remains unclear whether the truce will 
hold and will be extended after October. In the meantime, prices continue to rise, especially 
in the south of Yemen. Should the truce be discontinued, fighting will resume – most likely 
with  high  intensity  –  limiting  access  further  as  well  as  impacting  the  import  of  basic 
commodities by the private sector. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR  135  million  allocated  in  2022,  the  largest  allocation  since  the  onset  of  the 
conflict  with  approx.  75%  of  the  budget  contributing  directly  (Food  Security  & 
Livelihood  34%)  and  indirectly  (health  &  nutrition  19%,  basic  needs/MPCT  9%, 

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WASH 7% & DRR 2%) to food security outcomes. DG ECHO provides aid mainly 
through cash and in-kind deliveries. 

•  The EU is a leading actor on diplomacy and coordinated humanitarian advocacy. 
On  23  June  2022,  DG  ECHO  co-hosted  the  fourth  humanitarian  Senior  Official 
Meeting jointly  with  Sweden  (SOM  process),  where  the food  insecurity  crisis  and 
related drivers were emphasised and action points for collective action identified. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  USAID/BHA: USD 1 billion was allocated in 2022 alone (including a significant part 
of food in-kind). This is already above 2021 (USD 800 million) and 2020 (USD 600 
million). 

Needs and opportunities 

•  Underfunded crisis. Additional short and long-term financial support is required. 

• 

Improve  prioritisation  of  assistance  ensuring  greater  coverage  for  the  most 
vulnerable groups. 

•  Continue to play a leading role in coordination and advocacy for the respect of IHL, 

principled aid delivery and increased assistance to Yemen.  

•  Advocate both internally to other Commission services and externally to donors for 

increased engagement on Yemen. 

•  Develop specific strategies to operate in context of high inflation and depreciation 

(e.g., flexible programming, market monitoring and contingency planning). 

•  Strengthen the humanitarian cash and shock responsive social protection (SRSP) 
nexus as well as livelihood support and diversification, inter-sectoral programming 
and monitoring and early warning systems. 

Acute Food Insecurity Projection June – December 2022 

Source: IPC Yemen, July 2022 

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Funding progress by sector in Yemen 

Source: OCHA FTS, August 2022 

Trends in response plan /appeal requirements in Yemen (OCHA FTS, Aug 2022) 

Source: OCHA FTS, August 2022 

2.4.Latin America and Caribbean 

Central America 

Situation and evolution 

Food  insecurity  in  the  region,  in  particular  in  the  Dry  Corridor  (consisting  of  parts  of 
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua) is aggravating. In 2021, a total of 8.4 
million  people  were  suffering  of  food  insecurity  (IPC  3  and  4),  including  an  estimated 
500,000  in  Nicaragua.  According  to  WFP,  8  in  10  households  in  the  Dry  Corridor  are 

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resorting to crisis coping mechanisms and more than 25% of the population do not have 
enough money to buy basic foods. 

Guatemala  and  Honduras  are  the  two  countries  with  the  largest  needs,  with  6.6  million 
people  in  need  of  food  assistance  (OCHA,  HNO  2021).  FAO/WFP’s  outlook  for  June-
September 2022 (Hunger Hotspots) states that the situation in Honduras and Guatemala 
requires close monitoring, as their agricultural sectors are significantly exposed to elevated 
international  food  and  agricultural  supply  prices  during  the  lean  season  (March-August). 
Potential storms in the hurricane season impacts could aggravate an already-dire food and 
nutrition situation in Northern and Central America (Fewsnet)7. 

The  main  needs  in the Dry  Corridor  are food  assistance  and  supplementary  nutrition for 
children under 5, as for pregnant and lactating women. In addition, people need livelihoods’ 
protection and support in their recovery. 

Guatemala 

The situation in Guatemala is particularly worrisome as food insecurity has known a 6-fold 
increase since 2013, with 24 % of it’s the population food insecure. In addition, around 47% 
of children under 5 are being affected by chronic malnutrition (UNICEF) and 9,422 cases of 
acute malnutrition (Ministry of Health, May 2022). This is the highest rate in Latin America 
and the Caribbean and is the 6th highest rate of chronic malnutrition or stunting in the world 
(WFP, August 2022).  

4 million people experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC 3 or above) and need 
assistance in the coming months. This figure is expected to increase to 4.6 million people 
(26%  of  the  total  population)  in  the  period  up  to  September  2022.  WFP  estimates  that 
100,000  Guatemalans  suffer  from  severe  food  insecurity,  IPC4  (WFP,  August  2022). 
Children are particularly vulnerable.  

The  main  drivers  are  high  food  and  transport  prices,  the  conflict  between  Russia  and 
Ukraine causing high prices in fertilizers (an increase of 85% since 2021), the depletion of 
basic  grain  reserves,  the  loss  of  jobs  and  income  and  the  COVID-19  pandemic 
consequences.  

The purchasing power of households continues to be negatively affected by international 
trends.  In  June,  the  highest  year-on-year  inflation  in  eleven  years  (7.5  percent)  was 
reported. The inflationary trend is even higher in Alta and Baja Verapaz, with 9.7 percent, 
and in Huehuetenango and Quiché, with 9.2 percent. The prices of white corn, black beans 
and rice are the highest recorded since 1998 (Ministry of Agriculture). Basic Food Basket 
data reveal that the price of edible oil increased 31.4 percent, compared to the previous 
year. The National Statistics Institute (INE) indicates that a family of five needs USD 427.90 
per month to purchase the Basic Food Basket, while the average minimum wage is USD 
267. 40% of the households spent more than 50% of their income on food. 

Acción  Contra  la  Hambre  (ACH)’s  forecasting  system,  PREDISAN,  forecasts  that  4%  of 
Guatemala’s population would be in a zone of concern of very high food security and up to 
40% in a high zone. 

Honduras 

According to IPC, over 2.2 million people (24% of the population analysed) are in Crisis or 
worse (IPC Phase 3 or above), requiring urgent action. Of these people, at least 1.9 million 
are  in  Crisis  (IPC  Phase  3)  and  241,000  in  Emergency  (IPC  Phase  4).  However,  WFP 
estimates that 353,000 Hondurans are severely food insecure (WFP, June 2022). 

7 https://fews.net/ 

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ACH’s forecasting system, PREDISAN, forecasts that 14% of Honduras’ population would 
be in a zone of concern of very high food security and up to 71% in a high zone, between 
June and September 2022. 

Inflation  has  caused  a  deterioration  in  the  purchasing  power  of  the  population,  which 
currently  depends  mainly  on  purchases  due  to  the  annual  lean  season.  Food  prices 
increased with 6.3% and transport with 3.6%. The price of the Basic Food Basket increased 
with 5% since December 2021, with a 68% increase of maize, 23% of beans and 15% of 
oil. 

With  a  seasonal  decline  in  employment  options  in  rural  areas,  access  to  food  has  been 
reduced, especially for the poorest households. Since they are reducing the number of daily 
meals, increasing the use of credit or third-party food support, and selling productive assets, 
they will be classified in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) until September. 

Drivers 

Structural societal factors coupled with climate change 

Food insecurity is stemming from structural and systemic deficiencies, causing increasing 
poverty rates, linked to violence and climate change (26% population is at high climate risk). 
The connection between food insecurity, climate and violence on the one side and (forced) 
migration on the other has been highlighted by some stakeholders in the region, such as 
WFP and ACH. CARE draws attention on the impact of gender inequality on food security. 

Indeed, the aggravated food insecurity is mainly caused by an accumulation of impacts and 
simultaneous  shocks,  including  El  Niño,  consecutive  droughts,  hurricanes  Eta  and  Iota, 
coffee rust, socio-economic impact of COVID-19, ongoing inflation, violence and the impact 
of the war on Ukraine. In the first semester of 2022, the cost of the food basket increased 
by more than 80%, while ongoing drought limits livelihood and harvest opportunities. 

 Rising food prices and inflation 

Atypically high prices are worsening the impact of the ongoing lean season. These prices, 
according  to  Fewsnet,  will  limit  seasonal  improvements  in  food  availability,  purchasing 
power,  and  access  to  food  for  very  poor  households  who  have  yet  to  recover  from  the 
economic and climatic events of recent years. Poor households are expected to experience 
Stressed  (IPC  Phase  2)  outcomes,  while  very  poor  households,  in  the  Dry  Corridor  and 
areas affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota, face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes.  

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  Since 1994, DG ECHO has allocated EUR 281 million to Central America, of which 
EUR 45  million  were  allocated  to food  security and  nutrition,  and  EUR 91  million 
were allocated to Disaster Preparedness. 

• 

In its current projects, DG ECHO focusses on the Dry Corridor, and particularly the 
areas  mostly  affected  by  the  recent  hurricanes  Eta  and  Iota.  It  provides  food 
assistance  and  short  to  medium-term  livelihood  recovery,  while  helping  to  build 
resilience  within  relevant  nexus  strategies.  At  the  same  time  DG  ECHO  raises 
awareness on the prevailing food crisis through FSN information systems, through 
an action of EUR 1 million, implemented by OXFAM.  

•  The food assistance interventions target households in IPC phase 4 (Emergency) 
and households in IPC phase 3 (Crisis) that have additional constraints, like being 
a  single  parent  household  or  having  a  poor  food-consumption  and  asset  base, 
having a high number of dependents, being displaced, etc. A special focus is given 
to  children  under  five  and  pregnant  women.  DG  ECHO  supported  187,546 

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beneficiaries in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua with direct cash 
transfer, vouchers and in-kind assistance. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

The European Unionis funding several development projects at regional level, which are 
related to food insecurity and resilience building in the sector: 

• 

• 

• 

for EUR 6 million, the Information Systems Program for the Resilience of Food and 
Nutrition Security in the SICA Region (PROGRESAN-SICA), generating information 
for the development of public strategies and policies, with a focus on resilience of 
food and nutrition security (SAN). It is currently funded under the Climate Resilience 
of rural households in the Dry Corridor and managed as a component of the national 
programme in Nicaragua and ends in October 2023. 

for EUR 16.045 million, the Central American Program for Coffee Rust Integrated 
Management  (PROCAGICA)  is  benefitting  330,000  family  producers  and  6,133 
family farms in the selected areas in controlling the rust and avoiding severe damage 
to their plantations. Its activities will end at the end of 2022. 

for EUR 6 million, the AGRO-INNOVA for the adaptability of agro-forestry systems 
in the Central American Dry Corridor, aims to enhance capacities of 3,000 producers 
and  12  organizations  in  6  countries  on  water  harvest,  bio-supplies  production, 
forestry nurseries, planting nutrition and provision of drought-resistant varieties. Its 
activities will end in November 2023. 

The European Union is funding several food related projects in Nicaragua: 

•  The European Union is funding the Boosting Rural and urban Economy in Times of 
Crisis  and  Beyond  (BOOST)  programme,  providing  incentives  to  sustain  value 
chains related to the School Meals Programme in the context of a protracted socio-
political  crisis.  It  is  aiming  to  contribute  to  reducing  poverty  and  fostering  the 
economic  empowerment  of  women  for  EUR  15  million.  Its  activities  will  end  in 
January 2024. 

•  The  EU  is  also  funding  the  Climate  Resilience  of  Rural  Households  in  the  Dry 
Corridor (Dry Corridor), by strengthening of the policy framework on climate change 
adaptation  at  the regional  level  (in  particular,  within  the  SICA  system)  and  shock 
responsiveness mechanism and inclusive adaptability of safety nets with a focus on 
climate change, food and nutrition security and women's empowerment for EUR 13 
million. These activities will end in August 2024. 

The European Union is funding three food related projects in Guatemala: 

• 

• 

It funds an integral approach to build resilience in communities, vulnerable to food 
insecurity and climate shocks, called PRO-RESILIENCE, implemented by WFP for 
EUR 15 million. Its activities will end in 2025. 

It funds a comprehensive strategy to fight chronic malnutrition, through the support 
of  the  National  Strategy  for  Prevention  of  Chronic  Malnutrition,  implemented  by 
UNICEF for EUR 15 million. Its activities will end at the end ofMay 2024. 

•  Finally, it funds support to the Primary Health System to fight Chronic Malnutrition 
in  Guatemala,  implemented  by  PAHO for  EUR 20  million. Its  activities  will end  in 
November 2023. 

In addition, the EU will adopt a new program with a total budget of EUR 14 million, aiming 
at strengthening budgetary execution at institutional level and public policy implementation 
capacities of the Ministries who are responsible for the fight against malnutrition. It will also 
strengthen  the  institutional  capacity  of  the  Ministry  of  Finance  which  supports  them. 
Furthermore,  the  EU  will  strengthen  food  security  in  the  most  vulnerable  regions  of 
Guatemala and promote income generation, through the development of sustainable and 
climate-resilient agriculture, as well as alternative economic activities in rural areas. 

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WFP signed an agreement with the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) to strengthen 
the Ministry’s actions in food and nutrition security.  

USAID announced funding to address food security and resilience in the LAC region. 

• 

In Fiscal Year 2022, USD 21.8 million is dedicated for USAID/BHA food assistance 
operations in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Activities include emergency 
food assistance, via cash transfers and multipurpose cash assistance, agricultural 
interventions  and  livelihood  support.  Partners  include  WFP  (El  Salvador),  World 
Vision and CRS (Guatemala), ADRA and CRS in Honduras. 

•  At the same time, nearly USD 92 million of emergency food assistance and related 
humanitarian  programming,  such  as  nutrition,  health,  and  protection,  as  well  as 
water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions has been announced for El Salvador, 
Guatemala  and  Honduras  (of  which  USD  87.5  million  in  emergency  funding  and 
USD 4.3 in early recovery, risk reduction and resilience).  

•  USD 95 million of FY 2021 Feed the Future funds that will help smallholder farmers 
in  Colombia,  Guatemala,  Haiti,  Honduras,  and  Peru  improve  productivity  of  high-
value  horticulture  crops,  increase  incomes,  and  bolster  farmers’  capacity  to 
withstand shocks like higher fertilizer prices and impacts of climate change. 

Needs and opportunities  

•  The  food  security  crisis  in  Central  America  remains  severely  underfunded.  WFP 
reports a funding gap of 43% for its operations in Guatemala and 69% for Honduras.  

•  Additional short and long-term financial support is required. 

•  Partners  are  requested  to  further  prioritise  and  target  the  most  vulnerable 

individuals. 

•  Continue to advocate with other services and donors for an increased engagement 

in Central America’s Dry Corridor. 

•  The Food security and Nutrition Information system support in Central America was 
recently finalized. No new support from the EU and other donors is foreseen for the 
moment, and this in a significantly changing context due to political and violent crises 
and the ongoing impact of the conflict in Ukraine.  

•  To  improve  the  operationalization  of  the  nexus  for  Shock  responsive  social 
Protection  and  Anticipatory  action,  as  well  as  the  coordination  between  DP 
programs, Euroclima and resilience building programs.  

•  Budget  restrictions  under  the  HIP  2022,  allowed  for  the  allocation  of  only  EUR  1 

million to respond to the ongoing food crisis in Central America. 

Colombia 

Situation and evolution 

In 2021, 39.3% of Colombians (19.6 million persons) were below the monetary poverty line 
with  a  monthly  income  per  capita  of  only  354,000  Colombian  pesos  (EUR  80.5). 
Furthermore,  the  Economic  Commission  for  Latin  America  and  the  Caribbean  (ECLAC) 
projects  that  in  Colombia  total  poverty  will  be  1.7%  higher  than  2021  due  to  inflation. 
Extreme poverty affects disproportionately ethnic minorities, including indigenous and Afro-
Colombian communities, usually located in former conflict zones with little state presence. 
About  7.3  million  Colombian  residents  are  estimated  to  have  food  security  related 
humanitarian needs in 2022, while moderate and severe food insecurity is affecting 42% of 

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the resident population (21.4 million), with severe food insecurity having slightly improved 
since the end of 2021 (FAO-WFP). As of July 2022, 75.7% of Colombian households ate 
three meals a day compared to 85.5% before the COVID-19 pandemic (DANE); 23.2% of 
households ate twice a day (30% in July 2021) and 1.1% only once. Moreover, 10.8% of 
children under 5 years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition. In addition to Colombians, 
60% of Venezuelan migrants and refugees (1.08 million) living in Colombia were estimated 
to be food insecure (FAO-WFP) in the first half of 2022. Food insecurity among migrants 
and refugees is aggravated by significant levels of internal displacement and accelerating 
food  inflation.  The  data shows  a  slight  improvement  in the  situation from two  years  ago, 
when 73% were food insecure; however, the price of hot meals has increased by 60% by 
August 2022 (WFP).  

Due to the combined effect of inflation stemming from COVID-19 related restrictions and 
the crisis in Ukraine, food prices have increased by an average of 23.6% between February 
2021 and June 2022 with an annual inflation of 9.7% and 139% increase of fertilizer prices 
(DANE).  Colombia  imports  an  estimated  75%  of  its  fertilizer  (approximately  half  from 
Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine), and approximately 28% of its food commodities. Increasing 
food prices and shortages of agricultural inputs have a significant negative impact on low-
income communities in the country, such as Venezuelan migrants and refugees. 

Drivers 

Persistent  violence  among  non-state  armed  groups  and  recurring  natural  disasters  in 
Colombia continue to cause internal displacement and limit Colombians’ ability to access 
crops,  livelihoods,  essential  goods  and  services,  thus  exacerbating  food  insecurity  and 
nutrition issues among vulnerable households. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic and 
related  mitigation  measures  lead  to  reduced  access  to  health  and  protection  services, 
worsening food insecurity.  

In  addition,  approximately  2.3  million  Venezuelan  migrants  and  refugees  have  sought 
refuge in Colombia, along with more than 980,000 Colombian returnees. These factors have 
strained  local  services  and  increased  humanitarian  needs,  including  food,  health, 
livelihoods,  nutrition,  protection,  shelter,  and  water,  sanitation,  and  hygiene  (WASH),  not 
only among migrants, refugees and returnees, but also host communities in both rural and 
urban  areas.  Furthermore,  other  aggravating factors  are  worsening the  current  situation, 
such as loss of agricultural livelihoods and reduction of agricultural productive capacity due 
to the increase in the costs of production (15-35%). 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  DG ECHO interventions focus on the immediate risks of the most vulnerable and 
affected  populations  on  prioritized  sectors  like  protection,  health,  education  in 
emergencies and nutrition. Those are sectors where DG ECHO has a real added 
value  in  complementarity  and  coordination  to  other  donors.  Food  security 
interventions are prioritized under rapid response mechanisms.  

•  Over EUR 84 million has been allocated by DG ECHO to the Food Security Sector 
in Colombia between 1994 and 2022, representing 23% of total allocations. Food 
assistance  remains  greatly  underfunded  in  both  the  HRP  (funding  gap  68%)  and 
RMRP (funding gap 69%). 

Needs and opportunities  

•  Need to improve the triple nexus with EU Delegation and Member States for a more 
holistic response to the needs (from humanitarian protection, health, EiE response 

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DG ECHO Reports on food security 

to economic inclusion, support from social protection systems and documentation 
from development programs). 

•  Expanding  food  security  and  nutrition  assessment  to  also  include  Colombian 
populations  nationwide,  also  remote  areas.  The  idea  is  to  perform  an  IPC  in 
Colombia in 2022 in order to have more precise figure about needs and priority area.  

• 

Improve DG ECHO-funded project CASH response. 

Haiti 

Situation and evolution 

According  to  CNSA  (Conseil  National  de  Sécurité  Alimentaire),  in  February  2022, 
approximately 4.3 million people (44% of the population) were estimated in IPC Phase 3 or 
worse.  The  most  recent  estimations  of  June  2022  indicate  that  14%  of  the  population 
(approximately 1.34 million people) would be in IPC phase 4 and 33% (approximately 3.2 
million  people)  in IPC  phase  3.  Thus  46%  of  the  population  are in  need  of  humanitarian 
assistance. 

Increasing insecurity and gangs ‘territorial control’ prevents household access to livelihood 
opportunities and markets. Haiti imports 70 percent of its food commodities. The increase 
inglobal food prices due to the war in Ukraine, the annual inflation standing at 29% (July 
2022), the scarcity of fuel leading to higher transport costs and commodity prices and the 
depreciation  of  the  Haitian  national  currency  (nearly  22%  in  one  year)  will  likely  further 
diminish  household  purchasing  power.  The  latest  assessment  by  the  Ministry  of  Public 
Health and Population (MSPP) and UNICEF in the commune of Cité Soleil (one of the most 
affected by gang violence), concludes that approximately 20% of children under the age of 
five are suffering from severe or moderate acute malnutrition. 

For over a year now, 3.5 million people living in Southern departments, still recovering from 
the effects of the August 2021 earthquake, are deeply impacted by the blockage of roads 
departing from Port-au-Prince by gangs. This prevents farmers to sell their production in 
the  markets  of  the  capital  and  to  receive  humanitarian  assistance,  forcing  vulnerable 
households to adopt negative coping strategies to meet basic needs (OCHA). 

Drivers 

The food insecurity situation is expected to deteriorate further in the coming months, due to 
a recurrent below-average production of coarse grains and beans, a poor coverage of acute 
needs during past food and nutrition crises, the rising food and fuel prices (linked to the war 
in Ukraine), the depreciation of the national currency, the political instability, and the gang 
violence (continuing to increase in 2022 compared to 2021) that is causing displacement, 
market disruptions, limit humanitarian access and exacerbate the economic crisis.  

The country’s level of structural vulnerability and the accumulation of stressors also explain 
why  many  households  are  extremely  sensitive  to  shocks  (climate  hazards,  rising  prices, 
crop losses, etc.) and are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  The 2022 HIP first EUR 6 million allocation of Humanitarian assistance was devoted 
to respond to protection, health and education needs and priorities. In May 2022, a 
EUR 5 million top up was approved to provide emergency food assistance, such as 
the  provision  of  cash  for  food,  food  vouchers,  and  in-kind  food  assistance  to 

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communities  under  the  most  acute  food  needs  (IPC  4).  The  strategy  included 
response in urban areas and complemented the WFP’s Social Protection program. 
The food crisis response is nevertheless severely underfunded. Given the increase 
in protection needs and violence, allocation of funds for food security activities has 
been so far significantly lower in 2022 than in 2021. 

Source: Global Report on Food Crises 2022, Mid-year update 

Other actors’ main interventions 

•  Geographic concentration of the EU and Member States initiatives in Northwest and 
Grand Anse, (both classified in IPC 3 and 4) jointly respond to food insecurity and 
malnutrition  due  to  the  impact  of  drought  and  hurricane  Matthew  as  well  as  last 
year’s earthquake. 

Needs and opportunities   

•  Severely  underfunded  crisis  (HRP  2022  only  14%  funded  as  of  August  2022). 

Additional short and long-term financial support is required. 

•  Advocating  with  other  services  and  donors  for  increased  engagement  in  Haiti  is 

necessary. 

•  Promote  additional  nutritional  assessments  to  have  sufficient  information  of  the 

nutrition status of children under the age of 5. 

•  Concerns related to the accelerated devaluation of the currency against the dollar 
and the high cost of living have a great impact on the amount of cash transfers and 
it  is  therefore  necessary  to  monitor  the  markets  and  adapt  ECHO  intervention  in 
coordination with the Cash Working Group. 

•  Maximising Nexus with the EU Delegation under the upcoming EDF decommitted 
funds  allocation  to  improve  coordination  via  a  joint  analysis  of  needs  to  promote 
complementarities at geographical level, be support shock responsive, and ensure 
the implementation of social protection and anticipatory actions. 

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Venezuela 

Situation and evolution 

The  estimated  number  of  food  insecure  people  ranges  between  14.4  and  18.5  million, 
according to figures from HumVenezuela. 80.6% of households (23.1 million people) can’t 
buy  quality  food  and  in  sufficient  quantities.  13.4  million  people  (46.7%)  have  lost  their 
source of income and 5 million people (17.7%) exhausted their means of life. Venezuelan 
migrants  and  refugees  displaced  abroad  amount  to  6.1  million  as  of  April  2022,  with 
forecasts for 3.5 million in need of food assistance in 2022 (Regional Refugee and Migrant 
Response  Plan,  RMRP  -  Plataforma  de  Coordinación  Interagencial  para  Refugiados  y 
Migrantes, R4V – 2022). Venezuela is importing 75% of the food it needs and is therefore 
affected by shortages on the international market. Additionally, the World Bank assessment 
indicated that inflation stands at 155%.  In 2021, the extreme poverty rate and the poverty 
rate were at 76.6% and 95.4% respectively (National Household Survey). There is a deficit 
of 95% of the minimum wage (USD 23) in relation to the basic basket of June 2022, which 
was USD 459.84, showing an increase of 5.05% compared to May 2022.  

Drivers 

Inflation coupled with low growth rates and poverty rates: The war in Ukraine, added 
to pre-existing political and economic factors, that have weakened the lives and livelihoods 
of  the  population,  exacerbates  the  crisis.  In  the  period  2014-2020  the  GDP  shows  an 
accumulated reduction of 74%, thus a significant decrease in potential production capacity 
and productivity in the country (ENCOVI). Moreover, the poverty and extreme poverty rate 
of the Venezuelan population is 95.4% and 76.6% respectively.  

Russian  food  imports  dependency  and  fuel  scarcity:  this  affects  1.2  million  tons  of 
wheat,  80%  of  fertilizers  imported,  and  a  lack  of  financing  and  sufficient  income  and 
increased fuel prices. Access to seeds is also insufficient.  

Violence and conflicts: Affected by the increasing of insecurity and violence due to the 
conflicts between armed groups and the dispute to control the territory.  

Climate change: The extreme weather has increased flooding in recent years, resulting in 
loss of food crops. Climatic variations have also altered cycles, making it difficult to take 
advantage  of  rainy  periods  for  irrigation  and  the  water  public  service  has  severe 
deficiencies. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

•  EUR 20.15million allocated inside Venezuela in 2022 for all HIP priorities under the 
initial allocation and EUR 6 million under a second (Operational Reserve) allocation. 
DG ECHO is funding WFP operations implemented in schools in Venezuela which 
focus on food assistance. Other key partners such as NRC also work with schools 
in EiE complementing with food security interventions. 

Other actors’ main interventions 

• 

In a true nexus approach, the EU continues to support food availability through the 
promotion of the development of associative schemes. Through a second project, 
they are also supporting family farming through the reinforcement of food production 
capacities. 

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Needs and opportunities  

•  The funding received for the HRP Venezuela (in-country) 2021 only covered 37% of 

the required funds. 

•  The  lack  of  official  data  to  support  the  humanitarian  crisis  (particularly  on  the 
ongoing food and nutrition crisis) hinders the visibility of the situation and the access 
to  funds  to  attend  the  needs  of  the  most  vulnerable  population.  Thus  DG  ECHO 
needs to make the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela visible and increase advocacy 
with donors, including in a nexus approach.  

•  The  work  of  FAO  on  food  production  and  support  to  family  farming  gives  a  real 
opportunity  for  nexus  with  ongoing  DG  ECHO  funded  EiE  and  food  security 
response project throughout school feeding. 

•  The  impossibility  of  developing  cash  interventions  in  Venezuela  for  a  year  and  a 

half, prevents reaching a greater number of People in Need.  

2.5.Asia and Pacific 

Afghanistan 

Situation and evolution 

Food security continues to deteriorate in Afghanistan. In May 2022, FAO and WFP have 
included  Afghanistan  in  the  list  of  twenty  countries  identified  as  hunger  hotspots.  All  34 
provinces are facing crisis or emergency levels of acute food insecurity, with a total of 18.9 
million people – nearly half of the population - currently acutely food insecure (IPC 3+), of 
which 13 million in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis), and 6 million in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). IPC 
Phase  5  (Catastrophe)  conditions  affected  approximately  20,000  people  between  March 
and May in the province of Ghor. Afghanistan has the highest prevalence of insufficient food 
consumption  globally,  with  92%  of  people  experiencing  insufficient food consumption  for 
ten  consecutive  months.  60%  of  households  are  reported  to  employ  crisis-level  coping 
strategies such as selling assets, borrowing food, begging etc. Female headed households 
are struggling the most. Preparations for a new IPC assessment are ongoing. 

19.4  million  people  have  been  reached  with  emergency  food  assistance  this  year  (6.6 
million in August 2022), while approx. 300,000 have received cash-based transfers. If no 
additional funding is secured WFP will have to reduce food rations and/or reduce coverage 
in  IPC  3  areas.  As  of  7 October  2022, the OCHA  Financial  Tracking  System  indicates  a 
total  of  USD      2.01billion,  45%  of  the  total  USD  4.4  billion  required.  Food  Security  and 
Agriculture  has  received  USD  817  million  out  of  a  total  requirement  of  USD  2,6  billion, 
therefore the sector is only 31% covered. 

Drivers 

Limited  access to food  is  compounded  by  several  factors:  a  devastating  economic  crisis 
(according to the World Bank the real GDP per capita may decline by around 34% between 
end-2020  and  end-2022),  depreciation  of  the  Afghani  currency  and  the  irregular  or  non-
payment of salaries of civil servants. Access to cash, for the population and for humanitarian 
actors, remain very difficult. International assistance, beyond humanitarian, is resuming is 
expected to resume at a very slow pace. Sanctions and frozen Afghan Central Bank assets 
are  continuing  to  play  a  negative  role.  Prices  of  food  commodities  have  increased  -  in 
particular  vegetable  oil,  cereals,  sugar,  and  pulses  seem  the  most  difficult  products  to 
obtain. The Ukrainian crisis impacts on the cost of humanitarian operations in the region, in 
particular in terms of food support. Severe droughts and floods (especially in the course of 

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DG ECHO Reports on food security 

the  summer  months  )  are  affecting  the  harvest  and  are,  together  with  the  contracting 
economy, reducing income generating opportunities. 

Ongoing interventions 

ECHO interventions 

• 

In the context of the Afghanistan pledging conference that took place on 31 March, 
Commissioner Lenarčič announced a total EU pledge of EUR 113 million (EUR 93 
million for Afghanistan and the rest for the region) in new humanitarian funding.  

•  Breakdown per sectors: food assistance (32), health and nutrition (27%), Education 
in  Emergencies (18%)  and  protection  and mine action  (15%),  other  humanitarian 
services (8%).  

•  As of 5 September, DG ECHO has deployed a total EUR 114 million, in the region. 
This includes the EUR 113 million humanitarian funding reported above plus EUR 1 
million  mobilised  through  the  Acute  Large  Emergency  Response  Tool  (ALERT) 
following the earthquake that struck the country on 22 June. 

• 

In addition, since September 2021 and as of 12 October 2022, 24 Humanitarian Air 
Bridge  flights  departed  from  Europe  to  Afghanistan  carrying  approx.  775  tons  of 
mainly medical and nutritional goods. .  Two additional HABs are in the pipeline to 
be deployed by 10 December 2022. The EU is an important player in Afghanistan, 
it  is  one  of  the  very  few  donors  who  has  maintained  a  physical  presence  in  the 
country.  The DG ECHO field office has never interrupted its activities and continues 
to carry out monitoring missions across the country. 

Other actor’s main interventions 

•  USA is the first donor with USD 514,4 million which represents 27% of the overall 
funding response  plan/appeal  while  the  UK  is  the  second  donor,  with  USD  358,7 
(18.1%)  and  the  Asian  Development  Bank,  the  third  one,  with  USD  300  million 
(15,7%). On 23 September 2022 the USA pledged an additional USD 327 million of 
humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. 

•  At the time of the Pledging conference (31/03), the EU plus Member States pledged 

and equivalent to USD 586 million. 

Needs and opportunities  

•  To continue to  be  able  to  address  the most  urgent  needs,  WFP  needs  additional 
funding of USD 1.1 billion between August 2022 and January 2023. USD 172 million 
is  needed  to  ensure  the  ability  to  preposition  151,000  Metric  Tons  by  November 
2022, and to cover emergency needs for 2.2 million people. USD 220 million per 
month are needed to sustain WFP operations. 

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Source: Global Report on Food Crises 2022, Mid-year update 

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In person 

GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE EU 

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