| Countries in crisis requiring external assistance for food are expected to lack the resources to deal with reported critical problems of food insecurity. The list below covers crises related to lack of food availability, widespread lack of access to food, or severe but localized problems. However, many countries are also severely affected by high food and fuel prices. These include countries which are large net importers of cereals and fuels, with generally low per capita incomes, relatively high levels of malnutrition, and for which there is a strong transmission of high international food prices1. |
| Nature of Food Insecurity | Main Reasons | Changes from last report2 |
| Exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies |
| Burkina Faso | Erratic rains and extended dry spells throughout the growing season caused cereal production to fall by 17 percent in 2011. Cereal prices increased steeply across the country. About 1.7 million are estimated to be at risk of food insecurity |  |
| Chad | Irregular rains and extended dry spells led to a sharp decline in cereal and pasture output in 2011 in both the southern Sudanian and the northern Sahelian zones of the country. Cereal production dropped by 50 percent in 2011 compared to the previous year. Moreover, large numbers of refugees are located in southern and eastern regions of Chad (over 300 000 people from the Sudan's Darfur region and the Central African Republic). Also, the return of an estimated 79 000 Chadians from Libya is putting additional pressure on the local food supply | |
| Lesotho | A significant decline in national 2010/11 cereal production; 514 000 persons categorised as food insecure. Late and erratic rains worsen production prospects for 2011/12 |  |
| Mali | Cereal production declined by 13 percent in 2011 compared to 2010. Coarse grains prices increased steeply in the recent months in most markets following the reduced harvests. About 3 million people are estimated to be at risk of food insecurity | + |
| Mauritania | Cereal production dropped by 53 percent in 2011 due to poor distribution of rainfall. Pasture conditions were also severely affected in the pastoral and agropastoral zones of the country. Moreover, the country is being affected by high international food prices due to its high import dependency. About 700 000 people are estimated to be at risk of food insecurity | |
| Niger | After the severe food crisis that struck the country in 2009/10, erratic rains and extended dry spells throughout the growing season led to a sharp decline in 2011 cereal and pasture output. In addition, large numbers of refugees and returning national migrant workers from Libya placed increasing demand on food: 5.5 million people are estimated to be at risk of food insecurity | |
| Zimbabwe | Dry spells in late 2011 and early 2012 jeopardized crop production in southern areas, which were affected by poor production in 2011; however, there is an overall improvement in availability of maize | |
| Widespread lack of access |
| Djibouti | About 180 000 people, plus about 30 000 refugees from Yemen and Somalia, are in need of humanitarian assistance due to high food prices and the effects on pastoralists of several consecutive poor rainy seasons | |
| Eritrea | Vulnerability to food insecurity due to economic constraints and high international food and fuel prices | |
| Liberia | Slow recovery from war related damage. Inadequate social services and infrastructure, as well as poor market access and high food prices. Massive influx of refugees from Côte d’Ivoire: about 138 000 Ivorian refugees were still living in Liberia as of mid October 2011 | |
| Sierra Leone | Slow recovery from war related damage. Depreciation of currency led to higher inflation rates negatively affecting households’ purchasing power and food security conditions | |
| Severe localized food insecurity |
| Burundi | Low food stocks and high prices, particularly impacting deficit producing Cankuzo area, while heavy rains caused a drop in food production for the 2012 minor season | |
| Central African Republic | Civil insecurity restricts access to agricultural land and food | |
| Congo | Influx of more than 100 000 refugees since the end of 2009, mostly from DRC, has increased pressure on limited food resources | |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Conflict-related damage to agriculture in recent years and the lack of support services mainly in the northern regions. The recent post-election crisis has forced thousands of people to leave the country and seek refuge mostly in eastern Liberia, where about 138 000 Ivorian refugees were still living as of mid-October 2011 |  |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Civil strife, internally displaced persons, returnees and high food prices | |
| Ethiopia | About 3.2 million people are in need of relief food assistance due to lingering effects of the 2011 drought in southern and southeastern pastoral areas and in some secondary belg season crop producing areas | |
| Gambia | Production shortfalls and high food prices led to a deterioration of the food security situation in several parts of the country. About 500 000 people are estimated to be seriously affected | + |
| Guinea | Access to food is negatively affected by high food prices and general inflation | |
| Kenya | An estimated 3.75 million people (plus about 520 000 refugees) are food insecure in agropastoralist areas in northern and north-eastern districts that had two to three consecutive dry weather seasons | |
| Madagascar | Cyclones in early 2012 damage homesteads and crops, aggravating food security conditions of the affected population. However, improved production in southern areas alleviated conditions during 2011 | |
| Malawi | Production shortfalls in southern districts and a rapid rise in maize prices aggravate food insecurity conditions. Food distributions are targeting vulnerable households in southern districts | |
| Mozambique | Steady prices help to stabilise food security conditions, but areas affected by cyclone damage in early 2012 are a concern | |
| Senegal | Production shortfalls and high food prices led to a deterioration of the food security situation in several parts of the country | + |
| Somalia | About 2.3 million people are in need of emergency assistance due to the past severe drought, the ongoing civil conflict and limitations in delivering humanitarian assistance | |
| South Sudan | About 1 million people are estimated to be food insecure due to low cereal production in 2011, civil insecurity, trade restrictions; high food prices and increasing demand by IDPs and returnees | |
| Sudan | About 4.2 million people are in need of food assistance (including about 2 million IDPs in Darfur) due to a very low 2011 cereal production, civil insecurity (mainly in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur) and high food prices | |
| Nature of Food Insecurity | Main Reasons | Changes from last report2 |
| Exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies |
| Iraq | Severe civil insecurity | |
| Widespread lack of access |
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea | In spite of the improved food production this year, economic constraints and lack of agricultural inputs continue to lead to inadequate food supplies. Earlier severe winter conditions reduced wheat harvest and damaged stored seed potatoes; recent floods reduced the main harvest | |
| Yemen | Severe food insecurity persists as a result of recent socio-political unrest, high food prices, internally displaced persons (about 300 000 people still in camps) and refugees (about 170 000 people) | |
| Severe localized food insecurity |
| Afghanistan | Drought, conflict, insecurity and high food prices. Moderately food insecure areas are in the centre and northeast of the country. Poor 2011 wheat harvest exacerbated food insecurity | |
| Kyrgyzstan | Lingering effects of socio-political conflict since June 2010 in Jalalabad, Osh and Batken Oblasts; and high prices of staple food after their sharp rise since July 2010 | |
| Syrian Arab Republic | Prolonged social unrest is causing disruptions in food distribution channels in several markets | + |
| Nature of Food Insecurity | Main Reasons | Changes from last report2 |
| Severe localized food insecurity |
| Haiti | Lingering effects of devastating earthquake of January 2010 and cholera epidemic. Food insecurity improves with a drop in the cholera fatality rate | |
TERMINOLOGY
Countries requiring external assistance for food are expected to lack the resources to deal with reported critical problems of food insecurity. Food crises are nearly always due to a combination of factors, but for the purpose of response planning, it is important to establish whether the nature of food crises is predominantly related to lack of food availability, limited access to food, or severe but localized problems. Accordingly, the list of countries requiring external assistance is organized into three broad, not mutually exclusive, categories:
Countries facing an exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies as a result of crop failure, natural disasters, interruption of imports, disruption of distribution, excessive post-harvest losses, or other supply bottlenecks. Countries with widespread lack of access, where a majority of the population is considered to be unable to procure food from local markets, due to very low incomes, exceptionally high food prices, or the inability to circulate within the country. Countries with severe localized food insecurity due to the influx of refugees, a concentration of internally displaced persons, or areas with combinations of crop failure and deep poverty.
Unfavourable Prospects for Current Crops are countries where prospects point to a shortfall in production of current crops as a result of a reduction of the area planted and/or yields due to adverse weather conditions, plant pests, diseases and other calamities.
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No change
Improving
Deteriorating