malnutrition

Oxfam warns that over six million people from farming families in Zambia are facing acute food shortages and malnutrition until next growing season, which is twelve months away, due to a severe drought, exacerbated by climate change and El Nino, which has caused massive crop failures for half of the nation’s “planted area”. 

In reaction to the publicaiton today of the FAO’s “State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World 2023” report, stating that up to 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, and that 600 million persons will be chronically undernourished in 2030, Hanna Saarinen, Oxfam International Food Policy Lead said:  “It is unforgivable for governments to watch millions of people going hungry in a world of plenty, as they put the interests of mega-rich agribusinesses and energy companies before those of the most vulnerable people and widen the inequality gap.  

In reaction to the UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) report revealing that nearly 12% of the world’s population – or 811 million people – were undernourished last year, and that increase is equal to the last five years combined, Oxfam’s Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods Advisor Emily Farr said: “Oxfam is extremely worried that these downward trends, which will push us further away from our global 2030 zero hunger target, will only get worse unless the alarms raised are heard. The pandemic was the last straw for millions already battered by the impacts of conflict, economic shocks, and a worsening climate crisis."

According to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the impact of the coronavirus pandemic could increase the number of people at risk of a food insecurity and malnutrition from 17 million to 50 million people between June and August 2020.  

Millions of people facing severe hunger and acute malnutrition in one of the worst hit areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo risk having life-saving aid cut if donors do not plug a hole in the aid budget, Oxfam warned today. 

Since the end of April 2017, Yemen has been experiencing its worst recorded outbreak of suspected cholera in a single year. By mid-August, more than 500,000 cases were recorded. Significant and urgent scale up in all areas of intervention is needed.

The agencies call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, facilitate safe passage of those trapped in conflict areas, allow humanitarian access to those in need and cease damage to vital infrastructure.

Oxfam is engaged in an ambitious three year program to address the underlying causes of malnutrition and tackle the tragedy which is estimated to be the cause of nearly half of all child deaths in Niger.

Oxfam is concerned that the progress in fighting hunger is slowing down. We must not lose sight of the fact that in 2015 there are still 795 million people not getting enough to eat in a world of plenty. This is unjust and inexcusable.

One in four people in South Africa do not have enough to eat, and half the population is at risk of hunger, despite the country producing more than enough food.