What's New

With over 64 million people worldwide being displaced from their homes in 2016, understanding the links between conflict, migration, and food security has become even more crucial. Several recent reports have focused on this important topic, including the FAO’s The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report and a joint policy brief from FAO and IFPRI. An additional new related technical study from FAO provides further analysis and empirical evidence to complement the SOFI report and contributes to the debate on how conflict and food security impact one another.

The October edition of the FAO GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Bulletin finds mixed trends in international cereal prices. The global price of wheat rose by 6 percent in September, due in large part to weather-related concerns in the US, Australia, and Argentina. This places wheat prices 14 percent above their September 2016 levels; however, abundant global supplies and strong export competition have worked to limit the price increase.

The 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI), released today, reports that between 2000 and 2016, hunger levels around the world declined by 27 percent. While impressive, however, this progress should not mask the remaining food security challenges faced at the global, national, and sub-national levels. In 2017, South Sudan declared a state of famine – the first instance of famine in the world in six years. Three other countries – Somalia, Yemen, and Nigeria – also faced imminent famine in 2017, putting a total of 20 million people worldwide at risk of starving to death.

After years of steady decline, the number of chronically hungry people around the world appears to be on the rise again. In addition, the challenge of malnutrition is getting increasingly complex, with many countries facing simultaneous burdens of undernutrition and obesity.

These are two major messages coming out of the latest The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, published by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WHO, and WFP.

The latest Crop Prospects and Food Situation report from FAO was recently released. Published quarterly, these reports focus on developments affecting the food situation of developing countries and Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries (LIFDCs). The report also includes an overview of global cereal production prospects and highlight countries that require external food assistance.