Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

The FAO Global Early Warning - Early Action Report on Food Security and Agriculture for the period October-December 2017 has been released. The Global Early Warning - Early Action System aims to translate forecasts and early warnings into anticipatory action. The Global EWEA report is a quarterly forward-looking analytical summary of major disaster risks to food security and agriculture. 

Please download the full report here: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7813e.pdf. 

FAO/GIEWS has released the latest issue of the Crop Prospects and Food Situation quarterly report that focuses on developments affecting the food situation of developing countries and Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries. The report also includes an overview of global cereal production prospects and a table highlighting countries that require external assistance for food, identifying the primary causes of the local food crises.

HIGHLIGHTS

Counties requiring external assistance for food: FAO estimates that 37 countries are in need of external assistance for food in the world. Persisting conflicts have continued to acutely affect agricultural production and food security conditions. Weather shocks, including floods, hurricanes and droughts, have compounded the fragile conditions in some of the conflict-affected countries and also resulted in production shortfalls, adversely impacting food availability and access in other countries.

Africa: Northern Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan continue to be affected by severe food insecurity, while drought in parts of East Africa has curbed agricultural outputs and sustained high food prices. Wetter conditions in Southern Africa resulted in production recoveries, leading to significantly reduced food insecure numbers, while severe localized floods in West Africa have affected larger numbers of people.

Asia: Despite severe localized floods and droughts in some countries, production in the Far East is forecast to increase in 2017. Conflicts continue to intensely impact agriculture and food security in Iraq, Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen. Elsewhere in the Near East, generally good weather boosted production.

Latin America and the Caribbean: In the Caribbean, the impact of hurricanes is expected to depress agricultural production for second season crops in the affected areas and adversely impact food security conditions. In South America, record cereal outputs are forecast in Argentina and Brazil in 2017.

Please download the full report here: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7830e.pdf.

FAO/GIEWS has released a special alert on drought affecting crops in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Highlights: 

• Prolonged dry weather conditions from April to late June in the main central and southern cereal-producing provinces raise serious concerns about the final production of the ongoing 2017 main cropping season.

• If rains do not improve soon, the 2017 cereal output may decrease significantly, further deteriorating the local food insecurity.

• Immediate interventions are needed to support the affected farmers and prevent negative coping strategies for the most vulnerable households.

The report can be accessed through the following link: 

http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7544e.pdf.

FAO/GIEWS has released a Special Alert on the drought in East Africa.

The highlights:

• Prevailing severe dry weather conditions, virtually since October 2016, have affected rangelands and crops in large parts of East Africa, causing a serious deterioration of food security conditions in the subregion.
• Major areas of concern are central and southern Somalia, southeastern Ethiopia, northern and eastern Kenya, northern United Republic of Tanzania, and northeastern and southwestern Uganda.
• Localized Fall armyworm infestations are likely to further affect yields in the affected areas.
• Soaring prices of cereals are limiting food access for large numbers of poor households.
• The purchasing power of pastoral households in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia is severely constrained by plunging prices of livestock and rising prices of cereals.
• Recurrent climatic shocks have undermined household resilience. Urgent support to agricultural livelihoods is critically needed.

The Special Alert can be accessed through the following link: 

http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7537e.pdf.