No.2  April 2008  
   Crop Prospects and Food Situation

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Highlights

Countries in crisis requiring external assistance

Food Emergencies Update

Global cereal supply and demand brief

FAO global cereal supply and demand indicators

FAO food price indices

Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries’ food situation overview

Regional reviews

Statistical appendix

Note

COUNTRIES IN CRISIS REQUIRING EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE1 (total: 37 countries)

AFRICA (21 countries)

Exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies

 

Lesotho

Multiple year droughts until last season

Somalia

Conflict, adverse weather

Swaziland

Multiple year droughts until last season

Zimbabwe

Deepening economic crisis, drought last season, recent floods

Widespread lack of access

 

Eritrea

IDPs, economic constraints

Liberia

Post-conflict recovery period

Mauritania

Several years of drought

Sierra Leone

Post-conflict recovery period

Severe localized food insecurity

 

Burundi

Civil strife, IDPs and returnees

Central African Republic

Refugees, insecurity in parts

Chad

Refugees, conflict

Congo, Democratic Republic of

Civil strife, returnees

Congo, Republic of

IDPs

Côte d'Ivoire

Civil strife

Ethiopia

Insecurity in parts, localized crop failure

Ghana

Drought and floods

Guinea

Refugees

Guinea-Bissau

Localized insecurity

Kenya

Civil strife, adverse weather

Sudan

Civil strife

Uganda

Civil strife in the north, localized crop failure

ASIA (10 countries)

Exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies

 

Iraq

Conflict and insecurity

Widespread lack of access

 

Afghanistan

Conflict and insecurity

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. of

Economic constraints and effects of past floods

Severe localized food insecurity

 

Bangladesh

Past floods and cyclone, avian influenza

China

Disastrous cold, ice and snow in the south

Nepal

Poor market access, conflict and past floods

Sri Lanka

Conflict and floods

Tajikistan

Severe cold, floods/landslides, poor market access

Timor-Leste

IDPs, past drought and floods

Viet Nam

Cold spell in the north

LATIN AMERICA (5 countries)

Severe localized food insecurity

 

Bolivia

Floods

Dominican Republic

Past floods

Ecuador

Floods

Haiti

Past floods

Nicaragua

Past floods

EUROPE (1 country)

Exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies

 

Moldova

Drought, limited access to inputs for winter cropping

 

 

COUNTRIES WITH UNFAVOURABLE PROSPECTS FOR CURRENT CROPS 2

AFRICA
EthiopiaInsufficient rainfall
KenyaInsufficient rainfall
SomaliaAdverse weather, conflicts
ZimbabweEarly Floods and late dry spells in parts, shortage of inputs

TERMINOLOGY

1 Countries in crisis requiring external assistance 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.

2 Countries facing 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 adverse weather conditions, plant pests, diseases and other calamities which indicate a need for close monitoring of the crops for the remainder of the growing season.

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