Global Food and Nutrition Security

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 9, 2020 — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a $12.8 million COVID-19 Emergency Income Support Project to help Maldives mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on poor and vulnerable workers and their families. The project also aims to increase the capacity of the country’s social protection programs to respond to future emergencies.

JUBA – For the first time since 2018, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has managed to send a humanitarian convoy from Kenya directly into South Sudan via the Nadapal Border crossing just as hunger is peaking in the country.

In this series of blogs, experts from WorldFish’s focal countries share their personal insights on the impacts of COVID-19 on fishing, aquaculture, and everyday life.

Written by Daniel Henryk Rasolt.

Ethiopian Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed launched the Second Green Legacy Campaign on 5 June 2020, World Environment Day.

Presentations, abstracts and posters of major conference about agricultural production in water-limited environments are available for free.

COVID-19 has only further complicated the challenge of feeding growing cities across Africa and the rest of the world. Researchers are listening to vulnerable urban populations to help develop better, sustainable food system solutions.

A household’s vulnerability to climate shocks and its resilience to recover can now be measured, suggests a recently published study. The study’s authors have turned their measurement approach into an easy-to-use framework using data from smallholder households facing droughts in India.

FAO’s State of the World’s Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020 tracks growing fish production and consumption, and highlights the promise of sustainability actions.

SAN SALVADOR - Damage caused by Tropical Storm Amanda which lashed El Salvador is compounding the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to increase the number of food insecure people in El Salvador, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today.

Poverty projections suggest that the social and economic impacts of the crisis are likely to be quite significant. Estimates based on growth projections from the June 2020 Global Economic Prospects report show that, when compared with pre-crisis forecasts, COVID-19 could push 71 million people into extreme poverty in 2020 under the baseline scenario and 100 million under the downside scenario. As a result, the global extreme poverty rate would increase from 8.23% in 2019 to 8.82% under the baseline scenario or 9.18% under the downside scenario, representing the first increase in global extreme poverty since 1998, effectively wiping out progress made since 2017. While a small decline in poverty is expected in 2021 under the baseline scenario, projected impacts are likely to be long-lasting.

The EU Humanitarian Air Bridge is operating 3 flights to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), carrying on board humanitarian workers and essential supplies to help the country tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

FAO marks the International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.

In late March, the European Union made €5 million available from an EU budget support programme for family farming and food sovereignty. This timely disbursement helped support the Government’s efforts to improve food security concerns as part of the national Covid-19 pandemic crisis response. Part of the EU’s broader efforts to support Bolivia in fighting the drugs trade and achieving comprehensive development, the programme feeds into a national strategy to help communities whose inhabitants are tempted to migrate away to coca-leaf production areas.

With or without COVID-19 cases, pandemic’s impact in the Pacific is enormous - Q&A with FAO Pacific Coordinator.

FAO highlights the vast potential of ecosystems and biodiversity in helping countries to build back better after COVID-19.

First forecasts for 2020/21 point to new records ahead for global cereal production, utilization, stocks and trade.

Nations from Brazil to Yemen will see a boost to their efforts to protect biodiversity; reverse land degradation; adapt to climate change; safeguard international waters; and promote sustainable food systems.

DUSHANBE – As part of its response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) provided one-off take-home food rations to 24,000 vulnerable families whose children benefit from WFP’s school feeding programme in Tajikistan.

February 2020 presented a number of challenges for agri-food trade, including the Covid-19 pandemic, US tariffs, and UK’s withdrawal from the EU. In the face of these challenges, the EU’s agri-food exports reached a monthly value of €15.1 billion (an increase of 4.6% compared to February 2019), while the value of imports came to €9.8 billion (0.7% above the level of February 2019).