Global Food and Nutrition Security

Op-Ed from the Chair of the CGIAR WLE-supported Commission on Sustainable Agriculture Intensification (CoSA) in The Hill.

ALGIERS – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a contribution of CHF 1.8 million (US$ 1.9 million) from the Government of Switzerland that will help cover the basic food needs of thousands of Sahrawi refugee families and support WFP’s school feeding programme.

Well over 40 million people across West Africa face desperate food shortages in coming months, with COVID-19 restrictions a new factor adding to people’s vulnerability, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.

Scientists have demonstrated that such diseases as COVID-19, the new SARS-COV2 coronavirus, and Ebola can emerge due to ecosystem imbalances in forests.

Q&A with Mike Robson, FAO Representative in Syria.

Major online collaboration for coronavirus and the international dialogue on the climate emergency and the future of food

The European Commission registered €7.4 billion in pledges from donors worldwide during the Coronavirus Global Response pledging event which began today with the aim raising funding for the development and universal deployment of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines against coronavirus. President von der Leyen said: “Today the world showed extraordinary unity for the common good. With such commitment, we are on track for developing, producing and deploying a vaccine for all. However, this is only the beginning. We need to sustain the effort and to stand ready to contribute more. The pledging marathon will continue. After governments, civil society and people worldwide need to join in, in a global mobilisation of hope and resolve.”

The Covid-19 pandemic is jeopardizing entire sectors of our economic system.

A new study from the University of Illinois suggests that the use of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices will improve crop yields and food security in developing countries. The researchers found that farmers who adopted CSA practices in southern Malawi have increased maize yields by as much as 53 percent.

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2020 –The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved today the grant-financed Early Childhood Development to Build Tajikistan’s Human Capital Project, which will support Tajikistan’s efforts to improve young children’s nutrition, health, and education outcomes.

DEVCO Environment and Climate Week 2020, took place in Brussels from 17–21 February 2020.

ROME – The COVID-19 pandemic could almost double the number of people suffering acute hunger, pushing it to more than a quarter of a billion by the end of 2020, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today as it and other partners released a new report on food crises around the world.

Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to decelerate substantially in 2020 due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

ROME/NEW YORK – As the COVID-19 crisis pushes up levels of hunger among the global poor, the World Food Programme and UNICEF are urging national governments to prevent devastating nutrition and health consequences for the 370 million children missing out on school meals amid school closures.

The number of people battling acute hunger and suffering from malnutrition is on the rise again. The upheaval set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic may push even more families and communities into deeper distress.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell participated in the EU-G5 Sahel videoconference.

ALGIERS – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of €5.3 million (US$ 6 million) from the European Union (EU) in support of vital food assistance to Sahrawi refugee families living in Algeria.

Over and above its impact on health systems, the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the entire global food system, with an increased risk of food insecurity, several organizations (EU, FAO, OCHA, UNICEF, USAID, WFP, IFAD, World Bank) declared on 21 April*. A panel of 27 experts from IPES-Food, including CIRAD's Nicolas Bricas , has analysed the symptoms and causes of the crisis and the potential solutions. They call for a "food system transformation that builds resilience at all levels".

SANA’A/ADEN, 29 April 2020- Over 5 million children under the age of five in Yemen are facing a heightened threat of cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) as the country continues to experience increased heavy rains since mid-April. More than 110,000 cases of suspected cholera have been recorded across 290 of Yemen’s 331 districts since January 2020. Children under the age of five account for a quarter of these cases.