With the close of the 50th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva this month, Caritas Internationalis is urging international and local leaders to take action in responding to the severe food insecurity in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel regions. The right to food is a basic human right and the implementation of just food systems – from production to consumption – is key for the development of Global South nations.
On 7 July, Caritas Internationalis in partnership with Caritas Africa, held a webinar event to discuss the worsening food crisis with representatives of the United Nations. According to OCHA, 20 million people in the Horn of Africa will be in need of immediate food assistance by September, due to persistent drought further exacerbated by the collateral effects of the conflict in Ukraine on the global food supply chain.
Marie Helene Kyprianou (WFP External Partnerships Advisor), Mr Patrick Jacqueson (FAO Senior Programme Officer), Mr Isacko Jirma Molu (Director of the Diocesan Caritas in Marsabit, Northern Kenya) and Ms Aichatou Zaman-Allah (Development Manager, Caritas Niger) highlighted that we face an urgent and rapidly deteriorating nutrition and food security situation and discussed potential solutions to achieve a more sustainable food system and climate-resilient agriculture, especially for the people of the Horn of Africa and Sahel regions.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) reports an estimated 27.3 million people were reported food insecure in West Africa and the Sahel between March and May of this year. These figures are projected to increase to an unprecedented 38.3 million between June and August.
Development Manager of Caritas Niger, Ms Zaman-Allah, said the country is undergoing one of the most serious crises of the last 20 years. “More than 3.6 million people, that is more than 20 per cent of the rural population, will be at risk of sever food insecurity during the next season. The prevelance of chronic malnutrition is at around 45 per cent.” Caritas is encouraging all partners and donors to support the Caritas MOs in the Sahel Region.
An estimated 18.4 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia are in need of immediate food assistance because of the drought and severe food insecurity. According to UN OCHA this figure is projected to increase to 20 million by September 2022. Among those most in danger, children face the highest risk of mortality linked to malnutrition.
Director of the Diocesan Caritas in Marsabit, Mr Jirma Molu, said livestock farming in northern Kenya has been greatly affected by climate change and climate variability. He said, “we haven’t received reliable rainfall for the last four years and the livestock have died in large numbers, leaving many families with nothing to own and therefore sustain their lives on relief support which is currently very scarce”.
With the support of Caritas Internationalis’ member organisations, Caritas Marsabit have supported around 3,500 households (which represents only 7 per cent of the population that is in need) with cash transfers and food distribution but the humanitarian needs continue to rise. Mr Jirma Molu says there is a need for governments to understand the way of life of pastoralists and livestock farmers so as to adequately address the structural issues within food systems; from the production of food, its distribution, its marketing and consumption.
Caritas Internationalis urges governments to empower local livestock farmers through information sharing on agroecological practices and sustainable financing for initiatives that are friendly to the environment and minimises carbon emissions.
In summary, Caritas Internationalis is calling for rapid, collective and coordinated humanitarian action to:
- Address the structural problems within food systems. From the production of food, its distribution, its marketing and its consumption. It is important to promote agriculture that is friendly to the environment and minimises carbon emissions.
- Pay increased attention to the role of local actors in addressing rapidly the food crisis and also working for longer-term solutions. Humanitarian assistance is underfunded, but the needs are increasing. The role of the local actors is essential and it is key to empower them for sustainable solutions.
- Take action and keep high attention on the worsening of the global food crisis and its negative impact on the full realisation of the right to food. To continue to ignore the alarming signs of the unfolding severe food insecurity in the Horn of Africa and in the Sahel regions, and generally, the global food crisis, is a failure to listen to the most vulnerable people and communities and respond to their needs.
To support Caritas’ work in the Sahel and in the Horn of Africa, please, click here.