The triannual Crop Prospects and Food Situation report provides a forward-looking global analysis of cereal production, market trends and acute food security conditions, with a particular attention on low-income food-deficit countries.FAO assesses that 41 countries require external assistance for food, including 31 in Africa, eight in Asia, one in Latin America and the Caribbean, and one in Europe, are in need of external assistance for food. Persisting conflicts and insecurity remain the primary drivers of the most severe levels of acute food insecurity.The report also includes FAO's latest forecast for cereal production among the Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries (LIFDCs), which stands at 151.6 million tonnes in 2025, slightly down on the previous year, but 4 percent above the previous five-year average.