GLOBAL REPORT ON FOOD CRISIS (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Social Issues)
Context: The 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC) revealed that extreme weather emerged as the second most significant factor driving food crises, with nearly 282 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity in 59 countries recently.
Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC)
- Preparation: Annually by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN).
- Launched by: The Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC).
- GNAFC: A multistakeholder initiative including UN organizations, the EU, the United States Agency for International Development, and NGOs collaborating to address food crises.
2024 Report Analysis
- Population and Coverage: The report scrutinized a populace of 1.3 billion across 59 countries in 2023.
- Food Crisis Overview
o Magnitude of Crisis: Approximately 282 million individuals encountered elevated levels of acute food insecurity across the surveyed nations in 2023.
o Urgency of Action: One out of every five individuals assessed required immediate critical intervention due to acute food insecurity.
- Vulnerable Regions Examination
o Conflict Hotspots: Regions like Palestine (Gaza Strip) and Sudan exhibited a strong correlation between displacement and acute food insecurity.
o Sudan's Crisis: Sudan emerged as the world's largest internal displacement crisis in 2023.
- Identification of Causes
o Primary: Conflict and insecurity emerged as the leading cause in 20 countries, directly impacting 135 million individuals.
o Secondary Factor: Extreme weather events followed as the second significant contributor to food insecurity.
o Economic Instability: Economic shocks ranked third, affecting 21 nations, especially low-income and import-dependent countries.
