The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) is seeking US$1.1bn in 2021 to save the lives and livelihoods of some of the worlds most food-insecure people
In 2021, FAO is aiming to reach more than 48.9mn people who rely on agriculture for their survival and livelihoods through interventions aimed at boosting local food production and nutrition, while strengthening the capacity and resilience of communities to prepare for and cope with crises, as well as providing post-disaster livelihoods support to help people resume production.
According to FAO, countries have corded new food insecurity figures and the total number of people who experienced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels in 2020 is expected to exceed 2019's high of 135 million people.
Dominique Burgeon, director of FAO's Emergencies and Resilience Division, said, "The shocks of the past year will reverberate long into 2021 and beyond, and we need to urgently scale up actions to avert a worst-case scenario."
As many depend on agriculture for their lives and livelihood, the most severe manifestation of acute hunger remains a largely rural phenomenon so averting famine must therefore begin in rural areas and include large-scale and collective action to save livelihoods and lives.
Providing critical livelihood support to safeguard the livelihoods of more than 24mn people against the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, FAO's emergency response in 2021 will focus on providing assistance to highly food-insecure communities in more than 30 countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Recognising that close monitoring and agility are crucial tools in preventing rapid deterioration, FAO will continue to expand its anticipatory action linked to early warnings in 2021 to protect livelihoods before a disaster.
