Tag: agriculture

Further Increases of Starvation in Darfur, Sudan

April 12, 2026

The arid, poor, western region of Sudan, called Darfur, has been a complex emergency for twenty-three years, with mass displacement and an increasing problem of starvation and malnutrition.  Aid to prevent starvation is prevented by the inability of aid agencies to reach those in need, due to violence. A two-year siege of the regional capital of El-Fasher reflected the unending war between the two combatant groups, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces).

Using themal imaging, the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale University has recently published evidence of attacks against civilians Darfur.  Yales’s new HRL report provides detail of targeted burning, destruction and razing of 41 agrarian villages northwest of El-Fasher in darfur.  These communities were ethnically Zaghawa who produce food for the region, but following attacks, they halted agricultural work.  The Yale lab report finds:  “decreases in agricultural activity during the growing period following the razing of communities assessed through year-on-year changes in land use/land cover.”

The Yale lab and this report use remote sensing to measure changes in food security in non-permissive environments.  Satellite imagery of farming communities are shown in the photo at the top-left and at the map at right.

Oona Hathaway has called attention to famine as a war crime in Darfur, western Sudan.  “We conclude that the new Yale HRL report provies compeelling evidence relevant to multiple RSF starvation crises in the vicinity of El-Fasher, including war crimes, crimes against humanity…. Well over 11 million people have been displaced by the conflict, which has caused desperate levels of food insecurity, including multiple determinations of famine.”   She continues, “the fighting and the parties’ well-documented obstruction of humanitarian relief have, for extended periods, made the, made the transportation of food and aid to places that desperately need it nearly impossible.”

The economic and livelihood implications of the crisis have spread beyond the agricultural sector.  “Nearly 70 percent of bank branches have closed and ceased operation in conflict zones across Sudan. Bank closures, limited cash liquidity, and high transfer commission rates ranging from 10 to 30 percent have contribu ted to financial strain and limits any ability to sell and purchase food commodities, exacerbating food insecurity.”

Several locations in Darfur report acute malnutrition rates above 50%, which is very high.  Around 800,000 childhood cases of servere malnutrition, the most dangerous and deadly form of malnutrition, are expected nationwide this year in The Sudan.

Food aid does not benefit from a stable pipeline to Darfur, some food coming from Chad.  Much of the food is brought in by the World Food Programme.  NGOs responding include the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE, Food for the Hungry and Concern Worldwide.

Following the confirmed spread of famine in North Darfur, Action Against Hunger (AAH or ACF) is operating directly in regional hunger hotspots. Their teams provide emergency health and nutrition interventions, alongside water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs that are critical for preventing malnutrition-related diseases like cholera.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has provided food and cash, and health care for livestock, and rehabilitated water infrastructure (e.g., hand pumps in rural North, Central, and West Darfur) benefiting tens of thousands; conducted cholera response campaigns with chlorination and hygiene promotion in Tawila (North Darfur) and Al Daein (East Darfur), reaching over 117,000 people and distributed water filters.

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Increased Hunger and Conflict in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is currently facing a severe food insecurity crisis driven by several compounding factors. According to the UNHCR,  in 2025, both Pakistan and Iran tightened their migration policies, forcing large numbers of Afghan refugees to return to Afghanistan.

The Pakistan–Afghanistan border has become a combat zone, and Pakistan has conducted airstrikes inside Afghanistan along with ground operations, displacing 66,000 Afghan civilians.  As of mid-March, armed clashes continue in several Afghan provinces (Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Kunar, Nangarhar, Kandahar), with both sides reporting heavy losses. Pakistan claims to have destroyed militant infrastructure, while Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of targeting civilians and civilian areas.

An estimated 2.7 million Afghan refugees were forced back to Afghanistan in 2025 from Pakistan and Iran, straining Afghan public services. Pakistan has also closed the border and suspended trade, a devastating blow to the landlocked Afghan economy.  Many of these returnees are struggling to reintegrate due to limited employment opportunities and the lack of basic services such as food, clothing, and shelter. In addition, many refugees sold their homes when they fled Afghanistan and are now returning with no place to live.

Making things worse, major border crossings have been closed since late 2025 due to the conflict with Pakistan, interrupting food trade.  Compounded by its war with the U.S., Iran (Afghanistan’s western neighbor) has halted exports to Afghanistan of some food products, worsening Afghan food shortages and raising prices.   As a result, Afghanistan is shifting toward northern suppliers.

Kazakhstan nearly doubled grain exports to Afghanistan between late 2025 and early 2026.  Afghanistan cannot produce enough staple food domestically.  For example, wheat consumption for its population of 45 million is roughly 6.8 million metric tons per year, whereas domestic wheat production is about 4.8 million tons, with the shortfall made up through imports from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia.

The influx of returning refugees is placing additional strain on already scarce resources. At the same time, Afghanistan is experiencing a severe water shortage caused by a drought that has persisted for more than four years. The FAO estimates that snowfall during the 2025–2026 winter is at a 25-year low, significantly affecting agriculture and livestock production. As a result, it is estimated that roughly half of Afghanistan’s population is facing severe food insecurity and poverty.

The prevalence of malnutrition has increased over the last year, reaching record highs.  Acute malnutrition for children under five increased by approximately 7% compared to early 2025. In 2026, an estimated 3.7 to 4 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition, with nearly 1 million of those facing Severe Acute Malnutrition.  Approximately 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are also expected to be acutely malnourished this year.

Afghanistan’s per capita GDP is estimated at about $400 per year and has declined by 20% from a few years ago.  By this measure, the Afghan people are the poorest in Asia.  The chart at right compares the prevalence of undernutrition in Afghanistan to some of its neighboring countries.

Children are still being measured to identify malnutrition, but the system is under immense strain.  Families stopped taking children to health centers as they knew that supplies of recovery foods would not be available.  Many children are “dying silently at home” because families cannot afford the transport to clinics, or facilities have closed due to earthquake damage and lack of staff funding.

The departure of U.S. troops in August 2021 and the subsequent 2025 cessation of all USAID aid to Afghanistan fundamentally broke the primary supply and distribution model.  Last winter, the WFP provided aid for 6 million people but have cut that back to only 1 to 2 million people.

In addition to UNICEF and WFP, nonprofits who are responding to hunger in Afghanistan are:  Action Against Hunger (ACF), Concern Worldwide, CARE, Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Islamic Relief Worldwide, MSF, and World Vision.

The war is being fought over Pakistan’s demand for Afghanistan to eliminate militant safe havens and Afghanistan’s refusal to comply, compounded by historical grievances and border disputes. Pakistan is accusing Afghan forces of drone attacks on its civilians.  The human cost is mounting daily, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence and displacement.  The Durand Line, the contested border between the two countries, has long been a flashpoint. Both sides accuse each other of violating sovereignty and supporting insurgent activities across the border.  Recently, China publicly urged both sides to hold face-to-face talks and seek a ceasefire. Turkey has also offered to promote a ceasefire.

Update:   As of March 16, Al Jazeera reports that Afghanistan accused Pakistan’s military of launching an airstrike on Kabul’s Omar Addiction Treatment Hospital, a 2,000-bed facility, killing at least 400 people.  Pakistan dismissed the claim as “false and aimed at misleading public opinion,” saying it only targeted military installations.  The attack entered its third week of the deadliest fighting between the two countries in years.

Humanitarian Impact:  Nearly 66,000 people were displaced in Afghanistan as of early March, with the UN’s International Organization for Migration warning of the “growing humanitarian impact on civilians.”  Schools and markets in several border districts remain closed, mortar fire has forced families to flee villages in northwest Pakistan, and aid operations in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been temporarily suspended.

For further learning:

https://fews.net/middle-east-and-asia/afghanistan?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistanpakistan-conflict-update-situation-report-1-march-10-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.fao.org/emergencies/where-we-work/AFG/en?utm_source=chatgpt.com

These 18 Organizations Are Building a Stronger Food System Through Agroecology

Agroecology is defined by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a set of agricultural practices that “apply ecological concepts and principles to optimize interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while taking into consideration the social aspects that need to be addressed for a sustainable and fair food system.” In addition to providing environmental benefits, agroecology also embraces traditional knowledge and supports community resilience.

Pandemic Exposes Long-Standing Problems in the Global Food System

June 7, 2020

In a very short time, the response to the COVID-19 virus pandemic has exposed many of the long-standing structural weaknesses and inequalities of the global food system.  After years of steady progress in reducing the total number of chronically underfed people, the tide has turned backward, due to civil wars, crop failure, climate change, and now most recently—COVID-19.  The United Nations World Food Programme estimates that more than a quarter of a billion people face starvation this year due to the multiple impacts of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is accelerating global hunger in two key ways:  government-imposed lock-downs adversely affect the poor and unemployed families who are running out of money to buy food, even where it is still available. Ironically, due to the weakened demand stemming from a lack of cash, the FAO-monitored food price index has fallen to a 17-month low.  Also, many of these vulnerable families depend on school feeding programs to ensure that their children have access to nutritious food at least once a day. The closure of schools is depriving 370 million children of this critical source of nourishment.

Global food trade has also been disrupted. In Africa, many borders have been closed, consequently transporters cannot move food, resulting in significant food spoilage.  These localized disruptions have resulted in hoarding and have pushed up prices of staples such as rice.  In Senegal, trade restrictions and curfews have adversely affected the food economy, especially the seafood sector upon which the poor depend for livelihoods and sustenance.  Exacerbating the situation, some major grain producing countries exporters are contemplating controls on food exports. Such trade restrictions make a bad situation worse.  Food deficit countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which are suffering from rises in unemployment coupled with drastic reductions in tax and export revenues, now must find ways to feed millions.  International cooperation is desperately needed to assist with food surpluses from other parts of the global community.

While we must mobilize quickly and effectively to deal with the immediate adverse consequences of the pandemic on global hunger, at the same time we also must look to the future and think about how we can address our chronic food problems to be more resilient to future shocks such as drought, flood or plague.  To achieve this, we must invest in agricultural research—better yields, more drought-resistant crops, early warning systems, and sustainable farming.  We must assist small farmers to earn a decent income.  One way to do that is by strengthening local food systems by improving transport, refrigeration and food processing.  Finally, we must improve access to information and finance, so farmers can better navigate future shocks and more reliably produce the food we need.

The global community is more affluent now than ever before.  Our farmers have never produced so much food.  However, food like wealth is unevenly distributed – with devastating and preventable consequences.  In a resource-abundant world, hunger should now be a relic of the past.  Yet it isn’t.

To build a more sustainable and equitable global food system that provides affordable, nutritious and safe food for all, we need strong collaboration between governments, the private sector, academic institutions and intergovernmental bodies.  Together we can help not only those left hungry today and tomorrow by COVID-19, but those who are chronically vulnerable to hunger due to deficits in the global food system.  Now is the time to act to make food insecurity a distant memory.

 

 

Dr. Thoric CederstromAbout the Author: Dr. Thoric Cederström is the Director for Research and Learning for Food Enterprise Solutions which is actively implementing a five-year USAID Feed the Future initiative called Business Drivers for Food Safety.  Previous experience includes: Senior Advisor for Partnerships in Nutrition, World Food Program; Senior Manager for Agriculture in Nutrition, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); various positions with Save the Children, Counterpart International, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the University of Arizona.

 

 

 

A Shadowy Industry Group Shapes Food Policy Around the World

When the Indian government bowed to powerful food companies last year and postponed its decision to put red warning labels on unhealthy packaged food, officials also sought to placate critics of the delay by creating an expert panel to review the proposed labeling system, which would have gone far beyond what other countries have done in the battle to combat soaring obesity rates.

How urban agriculture can improve food security in US cities

During the partial federal shutdown in December 2018 and January 2019, news reports showed furloughed government workers standing in line for donated meals. These images were reminders that for an estimated one out of eight Americans, food insecurity is a near-term risk.

Scientists Have ‘Hacked Photosynthesis’ In Search Of More Productive Crops

Researchers at the University of Illinois have been able to engineer photosynthesis in plants that could help increase yields in key food crops like cowpeas in the future. “It’s really the first major breakthrough showing that one can indeed engineer photosynthesis and achieve a major increase in crop productivity.”

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/01/03/681941779/scientists-have-hacked-photosynthesis-in-search-of-more-productive-crops

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/01/03/681941779/scientists-have-hacked-photosynthesis-in-search-of-more-productive-crops

Space tech that feeds high-end diners in Toronto could help Canada’s North

Technology being used to stock high-end Toronto restaurants with designer leafy greens could provide Northern Canadians with locally grown produce.

Technology being used to stock high-end Toronto restaurants with designer leafy greens could provide Northern Canadians with locally grown produce.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/space-food-technology-led-1.4945788

Photo: LED lights are used to grown leafy greens inside a Toronto warehouse
Photo: A look inside We the Roots vertical farm in Toronto. Wired with LED lights, the hydroponic facility can grow up to 20,000 leafy green plants at a time. [Yan Jun Li/CBC]