Hunger hotspots

	HORN OF AFRICA Read country specific reports: Somalia Kenya Ethiopia Uganda More details

* World Vision Australia funds are currently being directed to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda

Horn of Africa

There are over 12 million people currently suffering severe food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, with particular concern being held for people in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia. World Vision Australia has identified these countries as the most urgently in need of assistance. Already suffering from widespread drought after several poorly performing rainy seasons, the situation in the Horn of Africa is exacerbated by the on-going upsurge of fuel and food prices. These factors have compounded an already fragile predicament that has eroded both the livelihoods and coping strategies of children and families, in both rural and urban settings.

Read country specific reports:

• Somalia
• Kenya
• Ethiopia
• Uganda

The African Continent

Of the 37 countries classified as worst-affected by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (UNFAO), 25 are on the African continent. Ten countries where World Vision is working are now in urgent need of food.

About one-third of all people living in sub-Saharan Africa, roughly 200 million, are currently malnourished due to food shortages, and according to UNFAO, an estimated 3.5 million of these people – most of them children – will die this year from hunger and related illnesses. According to UNDP, some 315 million people in sub-Saharan Africa presently live on less than US$1 a day, and prior to this crisis, they spent at least half to two-thirds of this money on food.

Asia and the Pacific

Asia, home to many of the world’s top rice suppliers, accounts for 76% of the 30 million tonnes of rice exported each year. The typical Asian farmer plants rice primarily to meet family consumption needs, but nearly half goes to supply local markets. According to the World Food Programme, the poorest Asian families spend as much as 70% of their incomes on food. And when prices increase, families do not necessarily stop buying rice, but rather begin to reduce their consumption of the vitamin and mineral-rich foods necessary to help children grow.

The Middle East and Eastern Europe

The increase in food commodities prices is also affecting countries in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Albania has seen a rise of 33% this year, prices in Lebanon have risen by 43%, in Pakistan by 90%, and in Afghanistan, the worst country hit in this region, commodity prices have soared – increasing by 100%. Some communities World Vision is working with are now paying twice as much as they did a year ago for wheat, other staple foods and heating materials.

Latin America and the Caribbean

The UNFAO estimates that primary food commodities (flour, beef, milk) across Latin America and the Caribbean are currently 57% more expensive than at the end of 2007. The World Bank estimates that food prices have increased by 87% over the past three years. World Vision in Haiti reports that a 120 pound bag of rice doubled in price in March of this year, and currently 160,000 people are at risk. Key rice growing districts of Bolivia, responsible for 80% of the national harvest had their 2008 harvests destroyed by floods.

However, some governments in Latin America are responding proactively to the crisis. The Brazilian Government recently launched a program to stimulate the production of staple grains to stabilise food prices without reducing exports. Nicaragua’s Ministry of Agriculture announced that around 64,000 small producers will receive agricultural supplies and seeds to improve their production, and Honduras expects to implement a similar program with its small farmers.

* Map provided courtesy of Lonely Planet Publications