Global food crisis: what you need to know in 2023 - World
News and Press Release in English on World about Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment and more; published on 16 Oct 2023 by ECHO
reliefweb.intHere’s a concise update on the 2022–2023 food crises and where things stood most recently.
What happened
- The Global Report on Food Crises (GFRC) 2023 and its mid-year update for 2023 showed almost 238 million people in 48 countries facing high levels of acute food insecurity, roughly 1 in 5 people in the affected populations examined. This highlighted that conflict, economic shocks, and climate-related events continued to drive acute hunger, with East Africa remaining the hardest-hit region. These findings continued the pattern from 2022 into 2023, underscoring persistent vulnerability despite some country-level improvements in certain areas. [GFRC mid-year 2023, EU Joint Research Centre summary; source: GFRC updates]
- The drivers of hunger remained dominated by conflict and insecurity, including protracted wars and regional instability, which disrupted farming, trade, and humanitarian access. Price volatility and global market disruptions, such as disruptions to grain shipments, also influenced food security conditions. [GFRC 2023 updates; EU summaries]
- Notable country-level variations occurred: some places like Sri Lanka and Niger recorded improvements in food security conditions between 2022 and August 2023, while others faced worsening conditions due to new or renewed conflicts and spillover effects. [GFRC mid-year 2023; EU summaries]
Key takeaways by region and driver
- East Africa: remained the most affected region, with tens of millions of people facing high acute insecurity due to conflict and displacement. [GFRC mid-year 2023]
- Conflict and insecurity: the primary driver across the 10 most affected countries, limiting humanitarian access and driving price and supply disruptions. [GFRC mid-year 2023]
- Global market uncertainty: actions affecting grain flows (such as disruptions to grain export corridors) contributed to volatility in prices and accessibility of staple foods. [GFRC mid-year 2023; related EU summaries]
What to watch next (context up to 2023–2024)
- The continuation of conflict-driven displacement, economic shocks, and climate impacts were expected to keep acute hunger levels high in many parts of the world into 2024 and beyond, with monitoring focused on the 10 to 12 worst-affected countries and regions like East Africa. [GFRC updates; EU sources]
- Some countries may show improvements due to targeted humanitarian assistance, social protection programs, or macroeconomic stabilization, but these gains can be fragile in the face of renewed shocks. [GFRC mid-year 2023; related analysis]
Public resources you can consult
- Global Report on Food Crises (GFRC) 2023 and its mid-year update (January–August 2023) for country-by-country data and regional context. [GFRC materials]
- EU Joint Research Centre briefings and European Commission relief/studies summarizing the GFRC findings and regional implications. [JRC summaries; EC relief briefs]
- FAO and WFP releases on food insecurity trends, shocks, and humanitarian responses, which provide ongoing monitoring beyond 2023. [FAO; WFP]
Would you like a concise table summarizing the 2022 vs 2023 conditions by region and driver, or a short country-profile section for the top 5 hardest-hit countries? I can also pull the most recent figures if you want an up-to-date snapshot beyond 2023.