$1.06 billion needed to help communities in 26 countries fight back against hunger: FAO

As conflicts and climate-related shocks undermine global food security, FAO asks donors to renew their support in 2018

8 February 2018, Rome - With conflict and climate-related shocks sending global hunger numbers marching back up after declining for decades, FAO is asking for $1.06 billion to save lives and livelihoods and address acute hunger in 26 countries.

With donor support, FAO is hoping to reach 30+ million people who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods via a range of interventions that seek to rapidly restore local food production and enhance nutrition. These include, for example, providing seeds, tools and other materials for crop farming, safeguarding livestock through lifesaving veterinary care, organizing trainings in improved production, processing, and land and water management, and giving at-need families cash so they can immediately access food.

Escalating humanitarian needs are largely the result of the persistence, intensification and spread of violence and conflict – the impacts of which are often being amplified and aggravated by climate-related shocks.

"The reality is that while the lives of millions of people were saved thank to rapid humanitarian response in 2017, millions more remain on the very edge of starvation. Maintaining food production and rebuilding agriculture are fundamental to preventing loss of life from severe hunger and to providing a pathway towards resilience in the midst of humanitarian crises," said Dominique Burgeon, Director of FAO's Emergency and Rehabilitation Division and Leader of FAO's Strategic Programme on Resilience.

"This is why FAO focuses on transforming vulnerability into resilience - so that when something bad happens families are better able to cope and feed themselves, people don't have to sell off their assets or flee, and communities can rebuild more quickly after the crisis passes," he added.