UN warns of deeper hunger across Africa

POOR rains and crop infestations in southern Africa are threatening deeper hunger across the region, with millions of people, particularly children, at risk, the UN’s World Food Programme warned yesterday.

“Given that the region has barely emerged from three years of very damaging El Niño-induced drought, this is a particularly cruel blow,” said Brian Bogart, the UN’s World Food Programme regional programme adviser.

Large swathes of land across the region, from South Africa to Zambia, have been hit by high temperatures and low rainfall, while an invasive crop-eating fall armyworm outbreak has shrunk cereal crop production for 2018, experts said.

WFP said there were fears of another rise in the number of people in the region needing emergency food and nutrition assistance, which had fallen to 26 million people last year from a peak of 40 million during the 2014-2016 El Niño crisis.

On Thursday, an alert was issued by a regional food and nutrition expert group urging action on the possible impact that a “prolonged dry spell” would have on the agricultural season.

“Moisture deficits, high temperatures and a persistence of fall armyworm infestation is likely to result in below-average crop and livestock production,” said the report cited by the programme. – Reuters/ African News Agency (ANA)