Food insecurity: exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies: due to poor seasonal rains, and desert locusts - about 2 million people were estimated to be severely food insecure in the March-May 2021 period, reflecting the poor performance of both the October-December 2020 “short-rains” and the March-May 2021 “long-rains” that affected crop and livestock production in northern and eastern pastoral, agro-pastoral and marginal agriculture areas; other limiting factors include the measures implemented to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected off-farm income earning opportunities, including petty trade, charcoal and firewood sales, and to localized but significant locust-induced pasture losses (2021)
Definition: Food crises are nearly always due to a combination of factors, but it is important to establish whether the nature of food crises is predominantly related to lack of food availability, limited access to food, or severe but localized problems. Countries in crisis requiring external assistance for food are expected to lack the resources to deal with reported critical problems of food insecurity. Three levels of crises are described in this field in descending severity: countries facing an exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies as a result of crop failure, natural disasters, interruption of imports, disruption of distribution, excessive post-harvest losses, or other supply bottlenecks; countries with widespread lack of access, where a majority of the population is considered to be unable to procure food from local markets, due to very low incomes, exceptionally high food prices, or the inability to circulate within the country; countries with severe localized food insecurity due to the influx of refugees, a concentration of internally displaced persons, or areas with combinations of crop failure and deep poverty.
Source: CIA World Factbook - This page was last updated on Saturday, September 18, 2021
