©FAO/Xavier Farhay

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has received USD 10 million in funding from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Humanitarian Fund (DRC HF) to provide emergency assistance to the most vulnerable households in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika.

Against a backdrop of persistent food crisis, this intervention saves lives by enabling households to meet their immediate food needs and preventing a rapid deterioration of hunger in the most affected areas.

“In the areas most affected by conflict, immediately supporting agricultural production is a life-saving action. Without this support, thousands of families risk falling deeper into hunger and resorting to extreme survival strategies. Thanks to the Humanitarian Fund, FAO is acting now to enable households to quickly produce their own food and prevent a worsening of the food crisis in the critical weeks ahead” said Athman Mravili, FAO Representative a.i. in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In total, 55 500 families, approximately 330,000 people, will benefit from emergency support combining the distribution of agricultural inputs, close technical assistance and, in some areas, unconditional cash assistance. Interventions will target, in particular, the health zones of Lita, Nizi and Komanda in Ituri; Kirotshe and Mweso in North Kivu; Kalemie and Nyemba in Tanganyika; and Minova in South Kivu.

A food crisis threatening millions of lives

In eastern DRC, millions of households depend on agriculture as their main source of food and income. Yet their capacity to produce is severely undermined by insecurity, loss of access to land, lack of quality agricultural inputs, market disruptions and the erosion of productive assets.

According to the latest IPC analysis[1], 24.8 million people, representing 21 percent of the population, were facing high levels of acute food insecurity between September and December 2025. Behind these figures are families forced to reduce their meals, go into debt to survive, or forego essential healthcare in order to eat.

In this context, sustaining local production is an essential humanitarian response to save lives and prevent a rapid worsening of the crisis.

Emergency agricultural assistance to save lives

Emergency agricultural assistance is a direct response to acute food insecurity. Thanks to this funding, households will receive seeds and adapted inputs enabling them to produce quickly and access food in the first weeks after planting — in some cases in as little as 21 days.

This ability to produce locally within a short timeframe is essential to help meet immediate food needs, reduce dependence on external assistance and prevent a rapid deterioration in living conditions.

Close technical support will help communities maximize their harvests under difficult conditions, while unconditional cash transfers will provide essential flexibility to respond to households’ immediate priorities.

Preserving families’ capacity to feed themselves

In protracted emergencies, enabling families to produce their own food is essential to preserving their dignity and limiting reliance on harmful coping strategies.

The intervention will also pay particular attention to the inclusion of the most vulnerable groups and to accountability to affected populations, in order to ensure assistance that is appropriate, accessible and respectful of expressed needs.

A vital investment to prevent worsening hunger

As hunger continues to rise globally, investing in emergency agriculture is a vital humanitarian action.

By helping families quickly produce their own food, FAO provides an effective, dignified response adapted to the realities of the most vulnerable communities.

Every dollar invested in agriculture can generate up to USD 3 in local food value[2], demonstrating that helping families produce is one of the most effective responses to hunger.