Tag: WFP

Micronutrient Forum Conference: Vitamins and Minerals in the Changing Environment

October 8, 2026    Nutrition specialists gathering in Accra last week returned to a recurring challenge: how to translate evidence on preventing malnutrition into policies and programs that reach people at scale.   Several thousand nutrition and aid specialists participated in person and online in the Micronutrient Forum’s 7th Global Conference, held in Accra, Ghana, from September 28 to October 1.     With the theme “Nutrition at the Frontiers of a Changing Environment,” the conference brought together research, policy, and program experience across nutrition, food systems, climate, and development.

Presentations examined climate-resilient, nutrient-rich crop varieties; improvements in food storage and processing; and innovative financing. Across these topics, speakers emphasized the importance of political leadership, sustained investment, and coordination.

Presenter Ziauddin Hyder reflected on the event:

“Ending malnutrition requires more than isolated projects. It demands strong political leadership, sustainable domestic financing, and coordinated action across sectors. Bangladesh is committed to transforming this vision into action by integrating nutrition into primary health care and ensuring that multisectoral investments converge to improve maternal and child nutrition.”

Participants included Action Against Hunger, World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, the Hunger Project, GAIN, Population Action International, AGRA, iDE, UNICEF, IFPRI, FAO, WFP and the Ghanaian Government.  Private sector participants included BioAnalyt Gmbh, Hexagon Nutrition, and Particles for Humanity.  A number of presentations were by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) or IFPRI. The Government of Ghana, the African Union (AU), and the African Development Bank (AfDB) were major participants as well.

Dr. Saskia Osendarp, who is Executive Director of the Micronutrient Forum, called on the international community to not only take stock of progress but also translate evidence into actionable recommendations for research, policy, and programs, while building on and celebrating African leadership in nutrition.

Presentations covered a wide range of recent progress in battling malnutrition, spanning climate change, behavior change, processed foods, testing for deficiencies, fortification, nutrient supplements and funding.

FORTIFICATION

A widely echoed takeaway from the forum was the growing body of evidence on what works: across diverse contexts, food fortification emerged as one of the most cost-effective and impactful public health interventions, especially when implemented with mandatory legislation.

The Food Fortification Initiative presented a systematic review about the effectiveness of large-scale food fortification across 10 fortification vehicles, plus reviews on milk fortification, fortified soy/fish sauce, the impact of mandatory folic acid fortification on neural tube defects, congenital heart defects, and clefts, folate status, methods for estimating fortified-food coverage, integration of fortification into food systems, and a new rapid spot assay for zinc in fortified grains.

The ten-person CRS delegation concluded that: “We know what works. Now is the time to scale it,” supported by abstracts from their fortification work in Madagascar, Niger, and Ghana.  CRS highlighted how its fortification programming in West Africa,  built with governments, regional institutions, the private sector, and civil society, has strengthened policy frameworks, regulatory monitoring, quality assurance, and compliance, improving access to micronutrient-rich foods “for millions of vulnerable populations.”

Gaps in Compliance:  Research from countries like Bangladesh and Nigeria revealed significant compliance gaps, particularly highlighting the disparity between branded and unbranded staple foods (like edible oil and salt). Experts noted that markets frequently fail to deliver adequately fortified foods to consumers due to these blind spots.  From Cambodia, a 2023 cross-sectional assessment of vendors in about 150 public rural primary schools, related to unhealthy school foods found that 98% of vendors said they knew the directive, and most could identify sugary and energy drinks as prohibited.  Yet, that awareness did not change what was sold.

A rapid zinc test may make food-fortification monitoring much easier.  The Food Fortification Initiative featured an abstract about developing and validating a qualitative spot assay for zinc in fortified cereals. The associated method uses xylenol orange, which produces pink or purple spots when added zinc is present in refined wheat flour or fortified white rice. Testing takes only 10–15 minutes, excluding reagent preparation.  This gives millers and inspectors a relatively inexpensive screening tool for checking whether zinc was added. It detects presence, however, rather than establishing that the food contains the legally required concentration.

GAIN’s contributions included Svenja Jungjohann’s presentations on discrepancies between market assessments and household exposure in Bangladesh, and compliance gaps in branded and unbranded oil and salt in Bangladesh and Nigeria. Annette Mongina Nyangaresi presented implementation research about digital fortification-quality systems.

Latin America has been a historic pioneer in large-scale food fortification (vitamin A–fortified sugar in Guatemala, near-universal salt iodization, wheat flour fortification in 18 countries.  Rice fortification (already mandatory in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, and being developed in the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Colombia) was flagged as an underused frontier.

SUPPLEMENTS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS

There was a heavy push for expanding distribution of “multiple micronutrient supplements” (MMS) for pregnant women, with  48 countries now exploring or implementing it, noting that women prefer a full 180-day supply, which supports adherence.   Vitamin Angels, profiled earlier in Hunger Notes, presented about scaling up multiple micronutrient supplements, and Ghana’s phased rollout of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) focused on evidence building and system preparedness.

Participants noted that supplement packaging is a sensitive part of nutritional efficacy: repackaging can reduce vitamin potency.

A poster looked at the effect of nutrition education on multiple micronutrient supplementation knowledge, attitudes, and practices among pregnant women in Abuja, Nigeria.  In selected antenatal clinics, structured nutrition education produced large gains: about 89% reached a good knowledge score and 81.6% a positive attitude toward use of multiple micronutrient inputs.

One session moderated by Jian Yan and Parul Christian of Johns Hopkins, addressed dose-response trials in undernourished women. A supplement’s nominal nutrient content does not by itself establish whether it corrects deficiency. Dose-response research seeks amounts that achieve adequate status without excessive exposure.

UNDERSTANDING MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

UC Davis and Cambridge experts underscored that half the world has inadequate intake of at least one micronutrient, and biological stressors amplify these gaps.  Sight and Life  presented about anemia among women, noting that anemia is the #1 global cause of lost DALYs for adolescents 10–19,  University researchers emphasized that blood loss, infections, and genetic conditions are major contributors to anemia—often overshadowing simple iron deficiency narratives.  This has implications for screening, treatment protocols, and national anemia strategies.

Dr. Parmi Suchdev presented about “Micronutrients, inflammation, and life-course vulnerability,” explaining how systemic inflammation can change or obscure bio-markers of nutrient deficiencies.

CHILD NUTRITION

The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) team presented key research highlighting maternal health and life-course vulnerabilities: Malnutrition is the main underlying cause in older children. It was the most frequent underlying cause among infants and children (20.8%), with sepsis and pneumonia more often the final event. An earlier analysis found malnutrition causal or significant in 39.5% of these deaths, 89.1% of which also had an infectious cause.

World Vision presented about father-to-father support groups which helped exclusive breastfeeding increase from 64.8% to 94.7%, while women meeting minimum dietary diversity increased from 11.2% to 54.9%.  WV also presented about strengthening RUTF supply chains for continuity of care of child wasting, with West Africa as their example.

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

University scholars presented evidence that climate change is reducing the micronutrient content of staple crops.   Crop science experts showed that rising CO₂ levels and erratic rainfall patterns lower iron, zinc, and protein density in cereals.  At the same time, rapid dietary transitions in African cities are reducing micronutrient diversity, increasing reliance on processed foods, and stressing traditional food systems.

The AGRA Regional Director, Sunil Dahiya:  “Higher carbon dioxide levels reduce the zinc and iron in staples like rice and wheat. The bowl looks the same, but there is less nutrition in it.  ….The crop is changing.”

DATA AND LEARNING

Discussions emphasized the urgent need to improve the timeliness, availability, and sourcing of data feeding into the Global Fortification Data Exchange (GFDx) to help policymakers track scaling progress in real-time.

The Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) Project emphasized south-south learning between Asian and African cities, showcasing how urban areas can lead in addressing micronutrient deficiencies.

Action Against Hunger, PAI, CORE Group, FP2030, HMHB, and SUN’s Civil Society Network co-convened an October 2 follow-up gathering on linking nutrition, family planning, and maternal and child health.

Overall, the conference reinforced the need for a unified, evidence-based agenda linking nutrition directly to improved child health outcomes and survival rates.

Overall, the conference reinforced the need for a unified, evidence-based agenda linking nutrition directly to improved child health outcomes and survival rates.

FURTHER INFORMATION

In the future, presentations will be available at:  https://mnfconference.org/

The program is seen at:  https://booklet.kenes.com/export/mnf26

See also:  https://www.myjoyonline.com/measure-food-systems-progress-not-only-by-productivity-but-also-ability-to-deliver-healthy-diets-agra/

GAIN’s poster presentations and side event about business:  https://www.gainhealth.org/events/micronutrient-forum-7th-global-conference-mnf#gain-participation

AGRA’s presentation:  https://youtu.be/4SjNVlZyjb8

Food Fortification Initiative:  https://ffinetwork.org/micronutrient-forum-7th-global-conference/

IFPRI:  https://www.ifpri.org/event/ifpri-micronutrient-forum-7th-global-conference/

– Edited by Steven Hansch of the World Hunger Education Service

WFP Acting Director on PBS NewsHour

September 29, 2026   The curren acting Director of the U.N. World Food Program, Carl Skau, spoke about the Sudan, Somalia, Gaza, the increase in food prices and lack of sufficient funding during an interview last night on the Public Broadcast Service’s (PBS) Newshour, available online at:

https://www.pbs.org/video/global-hunger-1790629585/

He spoke of famine-like conditions in Afghanistan, El Fasher Sudan, and the importance of feeding hungry children.  He explained that hunger and food insecurity can lead to rebellion and conflict.

He was interviewed following the annual UN General Assembly meetings by PBS’s Nick Schifrin.

Why El Niño Will Increase Hunger in 2026-2027

September 19, 2026  By Lani and Patricio Marquez

El Niño is a cyclical weather phenomenon that raises the surface temperature of the tropical Pacific Ocean, running along the Equator from the coast of South America. The magnitude of El Niño is measured by how far surface temperatures rise above normal. A Super El Niño is characterized by temperatures that rise 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average.  This year’s event is expected to go even further, well exceeding the prior strong El Niño events that began in 1997, 2015, and 2023. 

In July and August 2026, temperature readings off the coast of South America have registered 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest temperature ever recorded there and already +2.7 degrees Celsius above average.  The warming of the Pacific is expected to intensify as this Super El Niño continues into 2027.

El Niño’s effects are three-fold: First, the warming of surface water weakens the natural rise of cold, nutrient-rich deep water which in turn starves microscopic marine plants (phytoplankton) that are the base of the food web and has a domino effect on fish populations, which decline or move to other areas. Second, a strong El Niño raises the average global temperature, compounding the effects of global warming and intensifying wildfires, drought, and crop failures across the globe. Some regions see drought while others experience flooding rains as the heat from the Pacific spreads around the world. Third, El Niño causes big shifts in the winds that blow moist air across the oceans, affecting rain-fed agriculture. 

The United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) predicts that by the end of 2026, El Niño will significantly affect rainfall patterns and temperatures, increasing both floods and droughts and causing an additional 50 million people to experience acute hunger, an increase of over 20%.  The most affected regions are expected to be parts of Central America and Southern Africa, although significant impacts are also forecast in Eastern Africa and South and Southeast Asia.

In Guatemala, El Niño has already delayed planting and disrupted crop growth of subsistence agriculture due to rainfall 85 percent below average in July and well-above-normal temperatures. At the western end of the tropical Pacific, El Niño has led to a dry summer in parts of Southeast Asia, delaying the planting of rice and other crops in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. In recent weeks, monsoon rains have increased in some areas of India while large areas of the country remain in drought.

With food prices already rising due to conflict in the Middle East that has markedly increased fertilizer prices, the stronger and more persistent El Niño is expected to disrupt multiple crop belts simultaneously and further push food prices well above current projections. 

And not all of the weather changes associated with this super El Niño will be negative.  Increased rainfall predicted for the Midwest, Southern, and Eastern Seaboard of the United States, coupled with warmer temperatures in the Northeast, could result in increased food production in some areas.

The WFP is working with governments and humanitarian partners to avert the worst-case scenarios predicted for this year’s El Niño through “anticipatory action”, helping vulnerable communities prepare before disasters strike, through early interventions such as cash assistance, farming support, insurance and early-warning information. 

Responding effectively to climatic shocks requires anticipating how a warming world may amplify their consequences and preparing accordingly.  The principles that underpin anticipatory action are adaptive implementation, multisectoral coordination, rapid repurposing of financing, and the capacity to act on emerging risks before additional resources become available. As climate-related disasters become more frequent and severe, these principles remain highly relevant for all countries.

Photo credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, June 9, 2026 https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31399/ 

Food Needs from Nepal’s Glacial Lake Outburst Flood

September 1, 2026     The large flash floods that tore through the Himalayas on August 26, 2026 killed over 1,000 Nepalese, with another 5,000+ people missing.  Triggered by a catastrophic high altitude mountain collapse along the border of Nepal and China, a towering wall of ice, boulders, and mud cascaded down narrow valleys, completely overwhelming the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. As search and rescue operations continue.  Entire villages have been buried under thick mud, and massive infrastructure projects, including the Upper Trishuli 1 Hydropower Project where hundreds of workers are trapped, have been severely damaged or destroyed.  More than 900 workers in hydropower plants are unaccounted for as rescue teams combat tough terrain, difficult weather, and flood waters to try to find survivors following last week’s devastating flash flood. Many of the hydropower workers are feared trapped in the tunnels and underground areas of 11 facilities in the region. 

Unlike a classic glacial lake outburst flood, which typically occurs when a slowly expanding pool of meltwater eventually breaches its natural moraine dam after weeks or months of visible pressure buildup, this event was triggered by a sudden and massive ice and rock avalanche. Glaciologists note that high altitude ice and rock avalanches release significantly more kinetic energy in a matter of seconds, acting instantly to pulverize rock and collect immense volumes of debris as they plummet into river valleys. This mechanism creates a  very concentrated slurry of mud and boulders that causes far greater and more immediate (sudden, without warning) destruction than typical water floods.

The disaster began when bedrock gave way below a mountain glacier near the Langtang Lirung peak in the Himalayas. Part of this glacier, measuring almost a mile, split off from the mountain. Then, this fast-moving flood raised water levels along downsream rivers by 9 meters.

In recent years, Chinese and Nepalese scientists collaborated to build a cross border monitoring network designed to track glacial lakes and issue alerts. This system had successfully issued warnings for previous hazards, yet it missed the August 26 catastrophe. Researchers now understand that the existing water level monitors were primarily optimized for detecting gradual monsoon floods or perennial river swells. When the ice avalanche struck, the upstream monitoring stations in Nepal were instantaneously swept away by the force of the debris before a single alert could be transmitted. Mountain hazards experts have pointed out that even in a theoretical scenario where sensors remained intact, detecting an ice and rock avalanche upstream would provide a maximum of only twenty minutes of warning to the communities below. The disaster highlights a critical need to overhaul early warning systems in fragile mountain ecosystems.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the Nepali Red Cross stepped up as a leader in the emergency response. Coordinating the national humanitarian effort, the organization has led search and rescue operations across the hardest hit areas like the Rasuwa and Sindhupalchok districts. The Nepali Red Cross estimated that the catastrophe has severely affected as many as 93,000 people, leaving a vast population in desperate need of assistance. First responders from the organization have been working around the clock to establish emergency camps, providing displaced families with support, emergency shelter, and sleeping mats. Furthermore, the Nepali Red Cross has emphasized the immense psychological trauma inflicted upon the survivors, many of whom witnessed their families and homes swallowed by the earth in mere seconds. The organization is also actively monitoring the landscape for secondary flood risks, as natural debris dams created by the avalanche threaten to burst and unleash additional water on the already decimated downstream villages.

The needs of the survivors in terms for food aid is challenging given the geographical isolation caused by the flood. With at least 19 bridges and nearly 40 kilometers of vital roadways swept away by the surging rivers, traditional supply trucks cannot reach the most needy populations. Consequently, aid agencies are relying heavily on helicopters to airlift emergency food supplies, a method that is slow, expensive, and frequently disrupted by the unpredictable Himalayan weather patterns.

Before the flood waters ever rose, Nepal struggled with significant gaps in public nutrition. According to data from the World Food Programme, approximately 25 percent of children under the age of five in Nepal suffer from stunting due to chronic malnutrition.  Vitamin and mineral deficiencies remain widespread, with an estimated 43 percent of children under five being anemic from dietary iron deficiency.

The U.N. World Food Programme has rapidly mobilized its resources, dispatching specialized nutrient packed ready to eat food rations to the hardest hit areas. Because the displaced families have lost access to cooking facilities, cooking fuel, and clean water, standard rations of dry rice or lentils are currently useless to them in the immediate term. Instead, aid workers are distributing high energy biscuits that are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals.

Catholic Relief Services has mobilized its teams to provide emergency food, shelter, and water sanitation support to displaced families across multiple districts.  Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Caritas Nepal, who have already transported 2.5 tons of food supplies into affected districts such as Rasuwa.

Similarly, the United Nations Children’s Fund is deploying specialized emergency health and nutrition supplies aimed specifically at preventing pediatric malnutrition, while organizations like Convoy of Hope are prepositioning emergency food kits for distribution through local partner networks. 

The United States Government announced more than $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance, including up to three months of emergency food aid for up to 10,000 flood‑affected households.  CARE Nepal, Save the Children, and World Vision were among the fastest aid agencies to deploy

shelter and clothes. Because they run ongoing development programs in the hardest-hit provinces (like Koshi and Madhesh), they immediately pivoted their local staff to distribute pre-stocked emergency hygiene kits, water purification tablets, and shelter materials.

Future food production in the area has been set back.  The concentrated mudflow scoured the fertile topsoil from terraced mountain farms, replacing it with a thick, barren layer of rocks and glacial sediment. Thousands of livestock, which served as a primary source of protein and dairy for the mountain communities, were drowned in the deluge. The upcoming harvest has been wiped out, meaning the survivors will have no local crop yields to rely on for the brutal winter months ahead.   For the many villages cut off by the destroyed infrastructure, physical food deliveries remain a critical option over cash distribution.   This matters for Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and downstream Bhote Koshi settlements.

Hazards like this may reoccur.  The Himalayas are warming twice as fast as the global average, degrading the permafrost that acts as the “glue” holding steep mountain slopes and glaciers together. This exponentially increases the frequency of ice avalanches and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).  Managed retreat to higher ground, while economically and culturally disruptive will be necessary for these populations.

Rebuilding warning networks:   ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development): Based in Kathmandu, ICIMOD was one of the fastest actors in predicting the risk. Through their SERVIR Hindu Kush Himalaya initiative and their specialized flood early warning systems, they monitored real-time satellite imagery and river gauge data. They issued rapid alerts regarding the swelling of major river systems (like the Koshi and Bagmati) and the high risk of landslides in vulnerable hill districts days before the worst of the flooding hit.  This international NGO has spent years building community-based Early Warning Systems (EWS) in Nepal’s flood-prone Terai region and hill districts. Because they have pre-existing networks of local volunteers equipped with sirens, megaphones, and SMS networks, they were among the fastest at translating ICIMOD and government forecasts into immediate evacuation orders at the village level.

– contributed by Steve Hansch and the WHES Board

Venezuela: Displacement & Food Needs

August 16, 2026     Venezuela has had the largest number of refugees fleeing from it, and now is a focus of humanitarian aid following the large June earthquakes that killed between 6,000 and 18,000 citizens.…

Prior to those earthquakes, the U.S. Famine Early Warning System projected some 1.8 million people in need of food assistance.  UNICEF (as U.N. Nutrition Cluster lead) reports that 11% of children under five nationwide are affected by wasting, but the burden is heavily skewed toward marginalized, indigenous, and remote communities where healthcare coverage is minimal and WASH conditions are critical. The cluster’s 2025 response covered 79 municipalities across 23 states.  The Wayuu and Afiú communities in Alta Guajira and the Sinamaica Lagoon face some of the most severe deprivations.  The Amazon and Delta regions also have high rates of malnutrition, particularly among the Yanomami indigenous community.
…
The two large earthquakes that hit northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026 created immediate dislocations with an estimated 3.3 million persons in need of food assistance.  This represents the single largest, and by far the best-counted, displacement event in modern Venezuelan history.  Of those affected, 5,804 children and their caregivers have received nutrition services according to UNICEF.  Hardest hit were La Guaira, Caracas and Yaracuy.  An estimated 18,000 people remain homeless from these recent earthquakes. …
…
Venezuela continues to have high inflation with low purchasing power for its citizens, which is one reason 7 and 8 million Venezuelans have fled the country to exile.   Six years ago Venezuela’s internally displaced people were in the west, on the Colombian border, and the international system was building out to reach them. Today the largest counted caseload sits at the opposite end of the country around the earthquake.  Around 2.8 million refugees still live in neighboring Colombia.
…
The U.N. World Food Program has provided food to 120,000 people, including hot meals in shelters, ready-to-eat rations for displaced families, food baskets for households that can still cook, and prepaid electronic vouchers in areas where markets function.  The U.S. government has been one contributor, channeling support through WFP as part of a broader $386 million earthquake response package.
…
Venezuela has been a crisis for many years because of an autocratic dictatorship. Recent regime change did not open space for anti-hunger aid groups. A state of exception decree, a still-paralyzed NGO registration regime, OHCHR still expelled, and  dozens of aggressive actions against aid actors have limited aid in the period since the earthquake.   Most of the constraints that made humanitarian work in Venezuela difficult in recent years were structural, e.g., the denial of a crisis, the NGO registration regime, hostility to independent monitoring, the security services’ instinct to control assistance. Removing the dictator Maduro did not resolve any of those. In recent weeks there have been dozens of documented incidents against humanitarian aid agencies, including closures of civilian aid collection points, three arbitrary detentions, eight press-freedom violations. Problems include:  Entry permits revoked for German and Austrian emergency medical teams; a Chilean rescue brigade accused of espionage; intelligence officers reported present inside shelters and at aid collection points.

One US nonprofit, International Medical Corps (IMC), has worked in Venezuela since 2019. Since then, the team has reached more than 3.7 million people in 10 states, supported more than 120 health centers, and distributed medications, medical supplies and equipment valued at nearly $2 million.  In addition to building up health systems, IMC manages acute malnutrition, conducts nutritional screening for early identification of acute malnutrition, and promotes infant and young-child feeding practices, integrated into health programming in remote areas of Bolívar and Delta Amacuro states, where referral services for conditions caused by acute malnutrition are otherwise unavailable. Immediately following the earthquakes on June 24, IMC’s in-country team mobilized emergency medical relief to the hard-hit region of La Guaira, including a field hospital, mobile medical units, water trucks and hygiene kits for displaced families.

Another nonprofit, Caritas Venezuela, is one of the country’s largest and most trusted humanitarian organizations, with a nationwide structure. Its broad diocesan and parish networks and permanent presence in communities across the country are why it is often among the first to respond when disaster strikes.  This extensive network enables U.S. Catholic Relief Services and Caritas to work closely with parish priests, lay leaders, health facilities, schools and community organizations to reach vulnerable families in informal urban settlements, remote rural areas and Indigenous territories where humanitarian coverage is often limited. With warehouses, transport authorization and a permanent presence even in hard-to-reach areas, Caritas Venezuela is deeply embedded in communities across the country.

Caritas is now shifting from immediate earthquake assistance toward recovery for those who lost everything, while continuing to maintain field operations, particularly in the coastal city of La Guaira, where the destruction is greatest.  Caritas Venezuela reports that it has received over 19,000 tons of aid and distributed approximately 16,000 tons. The scale of the volunteer mobilization is notable: around 10,000 people — teachers, young people, mothers, retirees and neighbors, joined volunteer efforts across all of Venezuela’s dioceses and parishes.

– Contributed by World Hunger Education Service Board member, Steven Hansch

 

Nigeria’s Ongoing Nutrition Crises

July 4, 2026    In Nigeria, some 35 million people are projected to experience acute and severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, according to the most recent Cadre Harmonisé, representing the worst levels of hunger recorded in a decade.  The hunger crisis is worst in the country’s northeast, where an estimated 15,000 people in Borno State are at risk of catastrophic hunger.

In 2026, about 3 million children under five in Nigeria are projected to suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.  One million of these children are in the cluster of northeastern BAY States.  In addition to conflict and displacement, overcrowding, low maternal income and the use of infant formula are associated with a higher prevalence of wasting.  Nigeria has experienced near 30‑year‑high inflation, driven by rising food prices, supply‑side constraints, and exchange‑rate depreciation.  Food inflation has historically been the dominant driver of headline inflation.  The Government of Nigeria eliminated fuel subsidies and tightened monetary policy; these reforms may improve long‑term economic growth but have raised short‑term living costs.

Recently, displacement and flooding have also fueled cholera and measles outbreaks, with damaged water and sanitation infrastructure and low immunization coverage accelerating transmission.  In North and Central Nigeria, armed groups, rural bandits, and farmer-herder clashes have forced thousands of producers off their land, disrupting farming cycles and leaving large portions of farmland unused. Between 2022 and 2024, farmer-herder conflicts were recorded in 31 states, kidnappings in 10 states, and crop theft in 20 states. Over two million hectares of farmland in northern Nigeria are now inaccessible. 

this NE region borders Lake Chad where violence has increased.   UNHCR reports that more than 77,500 people have been displaced across the Lake Chad Basin since January 2026 as violence intensifies across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.  According to UNHCR, incidents of violence rose by about 80 per cent between January 2024 and April 2026.  Similarly,  nearly 1,800 attacks and more than 5,700 deaths were recorded between September 2025 and May 2026 alone, reflecting what the agency described as a deepening protection crisis across the basin.

The “maize belt” (Borno, Niger, Plateau, Katsina, Gombe, Bauchi, Kogi, Kaduna, Oyo, Taraba), which produces ~44% of national maize, contains nearly half of that unused farmland.  Between April 2024 and March 2025, Nigeria spent $2.39 billion on food imports, 11.6% higher than the previous year, despite government commitments to boost local production.

Nigeria’s population roughly doubled from ~95–97 million in 1990 to ~232–237 million by 2024–2025 (growth rate ~2.1–2.4% annually). The under-5 population surged similarly. Agriculture (now ~24–28% of GDP, down historically) has grown too slowly (~2–3% annually in recent periods) to match, leading to rising food imports, per-capita production shortfalls, and pressure on resources. Smallholder-dominated, rain-fed systems with high post-harvest losses cannot keep up.  Nigeria’s child population is so large that even a stable or slightly declining malnutrition rate can mean millions of children affected.

Stunting remained alarmingly high, ranging from 7.2% (Osun, South West) to 61% (Kaduna, North Central), while wasting was as high as 29% (FCT Abuja, Central).  Stunting (chronic malnutrition, measured as height-for-age) among children under 5 fell from around 42–45% in the early 2000s (e.g., ~43% in 2003 NDHS data) to roughly 37% in 2013–2018 surveys and around 31.5–32% in more recent UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (JME).  The overall prevalence of anemia and vitamin A deficiency ranged between 55.2 to 75.1 % and 5.3 to 67.6%, respectively.

The World Bank estimated the number of impoverished Nigerians rose from 89.8 million at the start of 2023 to 104 million in roughly a year.

SOLUTIONS

The National Home-Grown School Feeding Program (NHGSFP) provides school meals.  The National Social Safety Nets Program (NASSP) Cash Transfer gives cash to poor households.  The Federal Government, with UNICEF and other partners, has committed $30 million to the Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) initiative, targeting 2 million children aged 6-23 months in high-burden states.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization launched a $347 million Emergency and Resilience Plan (2026–2028). The strategy combines rapid agricultural assistance with long-term climate resilience, aiming to restore food production and reduce dependency on food aid for 12.6 million people across the north.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs nutrition projects in seven states in Nigeria: Borno, Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi. IOM tracks displacement and manages humanitarian hubs; UNHCR co-leads protection and durable-solutions work; Intersos and Helen Keller Intl operate where others have withdrawn.

Other NGOs with long-standing programs in Nigeria include Action Against Hunger, Partners for Development, Malteser, Christian Blind Mission, Save the Children, Plan International, and Catholic Relief Services.

  –  Contributed by WHES board member, Steven Hansch

 

Most of Yemen is Now Hungry, UN Declares

June 17, 2026    Yesterday, the UN was advised that the extent of food insecurity in Yemen had ratcheted up further:  “The hunger crisis in Yemen is worsening sharply, with the share of people unable to meet basic food needs rising from about half to nearly 60 percent within a month,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned on Tuesday, calling for urgent funding to prevent further starvation.  “The number of Yemenis facing the most severe levels of deprivation has increased from one in four to nearly one in three. More than 18 million people, …are now experiencing acute hunger, ” Fletcher told the UN Security Council during a June 16 briefing.

Over 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished, including more than half a million in the severe, life-threatening form. Nearly half of all children under five suffer chronic malnutrition (stunting), locking in lifelong disadvantages for a generation. In hard-hit areas, half of households with young children report at least one malnourished child, while one in four has a malnourished pregnant or lactating woman.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification System (IPC) of famine predicts and projects a growing number of regions moving into Phase 4 — Emergency, shown in red in the map at right — for the period September to December 2026.  The Orange Zones are very food insecure and Red are emergency.

The 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan of the U.N. requested $2.16 billion for aid in order to reach 12 million of the 22.3 million people in need of assistance.  Yet, donor fatigue and competing global crises threaten another shortfall. Recent floods have destroyed displacement camps and livelihoods, while economic pressures and regional shipping tensions continue to inflate food and fuel prices. In government-controlled areas alone, nearly half the population now are now suffering crisis-level acute food insecurity, with emergency levels expected to climb through the lean season.The country’s arid climate, limited arable land, and chronic water scarcity have always constrained domestic production. Yemen has long depended on imports for over 90 percent of its food, especially wheat, of which it imports around 96 percent, leaving it acutely vulnerable to global price spikes, shipping disruptions, currency collapse, and fuel shortages that drive up transport costs.  War has only deepened this dependency.

The current civil war, fueled by Iranian support to Houthi rebels, has made humanitarian aid more difficult.  NGOs that had been building long-term food resilience for years had to shift to more short-term life-saving aid.  Damaged irrigation, lost livestock, displacement of farmers, and soaring input costs have left cereal production well below average. Even when commercial imports through Red Sea ports remain adequate in volume, economic collapse and rial devaluation put basic staples beyond reach for millions.

The chart at right comes from the CEOBS Report: Yemen’s agriculture in distress – ceobs.org

What is new and especially alarming in 2026 is the sharp contraction of the humanitarian response itself. In January, the World Food Programme announced it was terminating operations and contracts for its 365 staff in Houthi-controlled northern Yemen, home to roughly 70 percent of the country’s humanitarian needs—after repeated obstructions, arbitrary detentions of aid workers, and an increasingly impossible operating environment. This followed earlier suspensions and adds to chronic underfunding.  The 2025 appeal was only 29 percent funded, forcing agencies to scale back nutrition, health, and food programs nationwide.

Yemen’s food insecurity has deep roots, but the convergence of aid cutbacks, operational halts in the areas of greatest need, economic freefall, and climate shocks risks erasing fragile gains in nutrition and pushing more families beyond their breaking point.

Aid agencies helping to address malnutrition in Yemen include:  the International Committee of the Red Cross, Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee, Médecins Sans Frontières, CARE, Norwegian Refugee Council, Danish Refugee Council, Oxfam, Islamic Relief, Medair and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.  Relief International is working with WFP in food aid in the south of Yemen.  UNICEF coordinates much of the nutrition programming for children and mothers, and the U.N. Nutrition Cluster (led by UNICEF), which reports for 44 operational nutrition partners in Yemen.

Further information, see:  https://www.nutritioncluster.net/country/yemen

and https://fscluster.org/yemen

–  Contributed by WHES board member, Steven Hansch

 

New Food for Peace Programming by the U.S. Department of Agriculture

May 24, 2026    BACKGROUND:   The primary way that the United States government, working with nonprofits, has fought hunger and malnutrition around the world has been through the U.S. Food for Peace program (originally Public Law 480, or PL 480), which began in 1954 and was expanded by President Kennedy in 1961, at which time it took on the name Food for Peace (FFP). Over seven decades, it has reached roughly 4 billion people in 150 countries through a mix of emergency relief and longer‑term development projects. Annual funding has typically ranged from $1.2–2 billion in recent years for the core Title II program (the main grant‑based humanitarian component), though overall international food assistance outlays have averaged $2–2.6 billion, fluctuating with global needs.

The structure and flow of resources for FFP begin with Congress, where appropriations come through agriculture and foreign operations bills. In its early history, most FFP aid went to “development,” but over time the balance has shifted toward emergencies. The main food commodities provided by the United States have been wheat, rice, sorghum, corn‑soy blends, beans, peas, lentils, vegetable oil, and ready‑to‑use supplemental foods. These are purchased competitively from U.S. farmers and producers and often bagged on ocean freighters bound for Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

RECENT ADMINISRATIVE SHIFTS:   After the Trump Administration dissolved USAID in 2025, FFP planning and administration moved temporarily to the State Department and then, in late 2025, to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with a strong “America First” focus on buying American‑grown foods. In December 2025, USDA and the U.S. Department of State signed an interagency agreement for USDA to take over FFP. USDA has long supervised other in‑kind international food aid programs, including the school‑feeding‑focused McGovern‑Dole Food for Education and the development‑focused Food for Progress (FFPr) programs, each delivered via partnerships with NGOs and the U.N. World Food Programme.

For many months it had been unclear how USDA would redesign FFP, how it would work with other organizations to deliver aid, and where. Then, in early May 2026, USDA announced a $350 million allocation of foods to WFP. In response, U.S. Wheat Associates announced that it “welcomes the announcement of the award of 20,000 metric tons (MT) (735,000 bushels) for emergency feeding programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) administration of the FFP program.”

NEW OFFERINGS

The new May 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunities published by USDA for NGO proposals sets out three reforms USDA has applied to the inherited portfolio:

  • *-100% U.S. origin for every commodity procured.
  • *-Strict traceability of every taxpayer dollar to guard against fraud, waste, and diversion.
  • *-“Offboarding and graduating” criteria, so that Title II funding “prioritizes emergency and in‑need geographies rather than forever‑aid countries.”

At present, the geographic scope has narrowed. NGO applications can only be submitted for seven countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, and Rwanda—a notable contraction from the broader Title II caseload USAID historically managed. Award sizes range from $20 million to $200 million, with USDA anticipating seven to fourteen awards out of $357 million in available federal funding, and a performance period of 18 to 24 months. The application submission deadline was June 12, 2026. Eligible applicants include public or private organizations, including intergovernmental organizations, language that explicitly keeps WFP and similar multilateral partners involved, while foreign governments are excluded.

With the large‑scale defunding of U.S. NGOs and other aid partners in 2025, intense competition for these new FFP program awards is expected.  NGOs such as CARE, CRS, World Vision, Mercy Corps, Save the Children and Action Against Hunger applied for FFP grants.

At the same time, USDA is layering the program on top of its existing Food for Progress (FFPr) framework. Separate from Title II FFP, the new FY26 Food for Progress solicitation to NGOs—released last week, closing July 6, 2026, with awards expected by late September—makes up to $226 million available across seven countries: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ecuador, Morocco, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, with awards of $28–35 million over four‑to‑five‑year performance periods. Food for Progress operates on a monetization model authorized under the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. § 1736o) in which the USDA buys U.S. commodities domestically and ships them overseas, the NGO sells them in emerging markets, and the NGO uses the proceeds to fund agricultural development.  Monetization used to be standard as well for FFP programs particularly in the 1990s.

Both of these competitions for bids are concurrent with USDA funding opportunities for school feeding (McGovern‑Dole).

See also:  USDA:  https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/food-peace

https://alliancetoendhunger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FINAL-FY27-ATEH-Senate-Agriculture-Appropriations-Letter-1.pdf

and:  https://www.devex.com/news/house-locks-food-for-peace-into-usda-with-50-commodity-requirement-112420

A primer from the Congressional Research Service here

Opinion: “No One Should Go to Bed Hungry: A New Era of Global Need”

May 8, 2026     The U.S. nominee to head the World Food Programme, and currently the Under-Secretary of Agriculture, Luke J. Lindberg, published an opinion in this week’s Newsweek Magazine, arguing that:

“Today, hunger is rising, with almost 320 million people facing acute food insecurity.  Conflict, weather, and economic instability are placing unprecedented strain on the world.

“At the same time, the world produces enough food to feed every person on the planet. With knowledge at our fingertips, our expectations for transparency and effectiveness are growing. This is the challenge before us: not one of production, but of delivery, coordination, and collective will.”

and also:  “No person anywhere in the world should go to bed hungry. That is not simply an aspiration; I will make sure that together we can make it a reality.”

see:  https://www.newsweek.com/no-one-should-go-to-bed-hungry-a-new-era-of-global-need-opinion-11913495

Hunger Crisis in Myanmar/Burma

May 2, 2026      According to the latest Hunger Hotspots Report, 16.7 million people, or one in three citizens of Myanmar (also known as Burma), are acutely food insecure, a sharp increase from 13.3 million in 2024. Myanmar now ranks fifth globally for the highest number of people facing severe hunger.

More than 400,000 young children and mothers suffering from acute malnutrition are surviving on nutrient-deprived diets of plain rice or watery porridge. WFP’s country director has said the crisis is invisible to the world. WFP can target just 1.5 million of the 12.4 million people in need and requires $150 million to do even that. No recent national prevalence data exist on wasting, but subnational surveys (for example, one in Yangon and Ayeyarwady Regions in late 2023) found about 8 percent wasting, slightly higher than the prior national figure. Broader food security and nutrition monitoring, including Myanmar Household Welfare Survey rounds from 2021 to 2025, shows worsening dietary diversity, higher food insecurity affecting millions, and increased household hunger since 2021.

Related to malnutrition, Myanmar’s under-five mortality rate—39 deaths per 1,000 live births—is nearly three times higher than the East Asia and Pacific regional average of 14.4.

The roots of the current hunger crisis lie in the military takeover of the government in February 2021. Since the coup, intensifying conflict has led to an estimated 15.2 million people, nearly a third of Myanmar’s population, facing acute food insecurity in 2025. The junta has retaliated against resistance forces by blockading aid, restricting humanitarian access, limiting trade routes, and targeting humanitarian workers, further compounding the food crisis. Military attacks have destroyed agricultural equipment and contaminated farmland with landmines and unexploded ordnance, exacerbating challenges for local food production. The average price of a basic food basket has increased fourfold compared with prices before the military takeover.

The situation is particularly critical in Rakhine State, home to the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities. UNDP has reported that Rakhine State is on the brink of famine, with two million people at risk of starvation. The Myanmar military’s near-total blockade of humanitarian aid to Rakhine State since 2023 violates international humanitarian law and likely constitutes a war crime.

Many readers may remember the large 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025, killing more than 3,700 people, destroying infrastructure, and reverberating through neighboring countries. A large share of aid donations was made in response to that quake.

International aid organizations working to address malnutrition in Myanmar include Action Against Hunger (ACF), Save the Children, Mercy Corps, Solidarités International, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

World Vision provides aid in 11 of the country’s 14 states and regions. ACF is currently implementing projects addressing malnutrition, mental health and care practices, food security and livelihoods, water, sanitation, and hygiene, nutrition security, and disaster risk reduction in Chin State, Kayah State, and Rakhine State. MSF has mobile teams in Naga and Sagaing, a remote, mountainous region in northern Myanmar where communities have limited access to basic healthcare. Despite restrictions on humanitarian access to conflict-affected areas, mobile teams based in Sittwe, in central Rakhine, offer primary healthcare and emergency referrals for patients from all communities.  The IRC works in Rakhine, Kachin, Kayin, and Shan States in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health.  Save the Children provides aid in Mandalay, Sagaing, Bago, Magway, Shan, and Naypyidaw. CRS’s current projects in Myanmar focus on agriculture and livelihoods and support for emergency response. CRS works with local Caritas partners to build capacity for community-led project design and implementation.  CRS Myanmar also supports partners in Kachin on community-led shelter efforts and provides technical assistance in community-led return and resettlement.

Community Partners International (CPI) provides community-based healthcare, particularly in conflict-affected border regions where government services are non-existent.  This includes “Backpack Medics,” who travel to remote villages to provide primary care, trauma surgery, and vaccinations. CPI also runs maternity waiting homes and trains community health workers to support safe births in conflict zones.

In Myanmar, the UN World Food Program (WFP) provides food rations to vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and people affected by natural disasters or conflict.  WFP also runs school feeding programs in areas with high food insecurity, providing nutritious meals to children in schools.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provides nutrition and health support for war victims in Myanmar.  In 2024 and 2025, the ICRC provided food rations, including rice, oil, and beans, to thousands of displaced families in areas such as northern Shan State, Mandalay, and Sagaing.

To the east of Myanmar, there are some two million refugees in Thailand.  The Border Consortium (formerly the Burma Border Consortium) of NGOs has operated in  nine refugee camps along the Thai–Myanmar border since the 1980s, providing foodIt remains the primary agency responsible for food assistance.  However, its operations have been severely reduced. By mid‑2025, TBC announced that food assistance for most households would be cut by 75% or eliminated entirely.

–  Contributed by WHES board member, Steven Hansch