The current severe levels of hunger are the “tip of the iceberg”, and food insecurity is expected to reach people who were not at risk, says Monika Tothova, economist at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In an interview with Lusa, the specialist in agricultural and food policies explained that, if the current global food crisis drags on, many families will lose purchasing power and will need to eat less nutritious meals or even reduce the number of daily meals.
“Famine levels and emergency levels are the tip of the iceberg and significant deterioration is likely as many citizens have already exhausted whatever resilience they had,” Tothova said.
“Even people who are not yet at emergency food insecurity levels are likely to be affected, as their purchasing power will decrease, they will need to consume less nutritious foods or skip meals, withdraw children from school”, among other consequences, he evaluated.
These combined possibilities will have an impact on the health and well-being of these families, including an increase in the prevalence of malnutrition, as well as the loss and stunting of children, highlighted Monika Tothova.
Among the most affected countries, the economist mentioned Yemen, where around 17.4 million people now need food assistance.
“The humanitarian situation in the country is likely to get even worse between June and December 2022, with the number of people likely to be unable to meet their minimum food needs reaching a record 19 million people in that period,” he said.
At the same time, an additional 1.6 million people in Yemen are expected to fall into emergency levels of hunger, bringing the total to 7.3 million people by the end of the year.
Last year, the world registered another hunger spike, according to the UN. According to the Global Report on Food Crises, in 2021 around 193 million people in 53 countries/territories experienced acute food insecurity, an increase of 40 million people since 2020.
Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began on February 24, has upset the global food balance and is raising fears of a crisis that is already affecting the poorest countries in particular.
Together, Ukraine and Russia produce nearly a third of the world’s wheat and barley and half of the world’s sunflower oil, while Russia and its ally Belarus are the world’s biggest producers of potash, a key fertilizer ingredient.
In this sense, the war led to an increase in world prices of cereals and oils, whose values surpassed those reached during the Arab Springs of 2011 and the “hunger riots” of 2008.
“The war in Ukraine took place at a time when the world was recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, food insecurity was increasing all over the world because many people lost their livelihoods,” said Monika Tothova.
In this context, the conflict resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine “has raised significant concerns about the potential negative impact on food security, especially for poor countries dependent on food imports and vulnerable population groups”, he added.
The FAO expert also highlighted that in order to maintain humanitarian funding for vital assistance, including food assistance, more than US$70 million (65.2 million euros) per month would be needed, citing data from the World Food Programme.
Focusing on possible immediate solutions to try to stop the problem, Tothova argued that reducing food loss and waste could improve food balance, at least partially.
The economist also stressed the need to invest in research, development and production capacity, despite stressing that this is a long-term strategy, which is not capable of solving problems quickly.