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Around the world, more than 70% of child labor is found in the agriculture sector—an estimated 108 million boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 17, according to estimates from the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Simon Groot, from the Netherlands, has been announced as the 2019 World Food Prize Laureate for his unparalleled contribution to significantly enhancing the livelihoods and incomes of the smallholders. Groot and his business partner, Benito Domingo, began East-West Seeds in the Philippines, a venture focused on the development of high-quality vegetable seed varieties that can help farmers earn higher incomes. Since the program’s inception, these varieties have spread across Southeast Asia, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Southern Africa faced widespread drought from the October 2018 to March 2019 rainy season, with less than 55 percent of normal rainfall totals, alerts FEWS. The 2018-2019 rainfall began a month late, triggering extended dry spells between January and March. The historically low rainfall totals affected areas of Botswana, northern Zimbabwe, eastern Namibia, southern Angola, and the surplus producing areas of northern South Africa and southern Zambia, and registered a D3 (Extreme) or a D4 (Exceptional) drought as per the United States Drought Monitor classification scale.

East Africa facing acute food insecurity as drought continues, alerts FEWS and FAO

In April 2019, the FAO Food Price Index rose 1.5 percent from March and reached its second highest level since June 2018. The increase was driven by the slight price increase in meat, dairy, vegetable oils and sugar prices. The index, however, remained 2.3 percent below March 2018 levels.

The Cereal Price Index was down 2.8 percent from March and 5 percent below its April 2018 value. The decline was pressured by large export availabilities and slowing trade.