Conflicts and protracted crises hamper progress made to end hunger in the Near East and North Africa

Food security and nutrition levels in the Near East and North Africa have sharply deteriorated over the last five years, undermining the steady improvement achieved before 2010 when the prevalence of undernourishment, stunting, anemia and poverty were decreasing, a new FAO report said today.

The FAO Regional Overview of Food Insecurity in the Near East and North Africa noted that the deterioration is largely driven by the spreading and intensity of conflicts and protracted crises.

The assessment made by FAO using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) shows that the prevalence of severe food insecurity in the adult population of the Near East and North Africa was close to 9.5 percent in 2014-2015, representing approximately 30 million people.

"A peaceful and stable environment is an absolute pre-condition for farmers to respond to the challenges of water scarcity and climate change."
(Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa)

Read the full article and download the report via FAO web site.