A Global Crisis

A Global State of Food Insecurity

by Joyce Mngodo, Betty Stacy, Anisa Muridi, and Fatuma Ibrahim

Kenya, Tanzania, Canada and the UK  have been experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity in recent years, with millions of people facing food shortages and malnutrition. The situation is attributed to drought, conflict, displacement and the economic impacts of the covid-19 pandemic.

Tanzania with a population of over 60 million people and rich in natural resources as well as vast fertile land still struggles with low agricultural productivity, inadequate infrastructure and insufficient access to markets.

High levels of acute food insecurity

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reports that over 5.4 million Kenyans and 1.1 million Tanzanians will likely experience acute food insecurity in March and June this year and likely to deepen in the following months. This represents a 43% increase in the population in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) and worse compared to the same period last year.

Food insecurity crisis is attributed to the widespread below average crop-production failures caused by adverse climatic conditions such as extremely high temperatures recorded making it too harsh for crops to survive.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a major problem in Kenya, Tanzania, Canada and the UK particularly among children under the age of five for Sub Saharan countries and adults suffering from obesity brought about by consuming  processed food for Canada and the UK. 

According to the United Nations, over 26% of Kenyan and Tanzanian children under the age of five suffer from stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition. IPC reports that about 970,200 Kenyan children are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition through 2023. In addition, protracted drought has affected the nutritional status of mothers and children. 

In comparison to the 884,000 reported cases in July 2022, there are already about 970,000 children aged 6 to 59 months and 142,000 pregnant and nursing mothers who are malnourished, according to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).

The main causes of malnutrition in Sub Saharan Africa include poverty, food insecurity, poor sanitation and hygiene, lack of access to healthcare and inadequate knowledge of proper nutrition and feeding practices.

Drought

Northern Kenya reports of water scarcity, crop failure and livestock deaths. The lack of rainfall has also resulted in reduced water levels in rivers and dams, affecting irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.

Consumer Price Index

As at January 2023, the CPI in Kenya increased to 6.46% which is 129.29 points from 128.99 points in December of 2022 . This represents an increase from the previous month's CPI of 6.29%, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

The UK saw a dramatic increase in inflation, rising from 0.7% in February to 2.9% in September, reaching the highest recording of CPI to date. It is only since November 2022 that inflation rates began to ease and are currently in the third consecutive month of the fall of inflation

The main contributors to this increase in inflation are the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and transport.

High food prices

All four countries are experiencing high food prices in 2023. High food prices will have a significant impact on low-income households, who spend a large portion of their income on food.

It has been reported that countries which export food to the UK like Morocco and Spain are experiencing severe weather conditions such as flooding and drought. British media has informed that there is limited foreign harvest which has led to high food prices and a lack of availability of foods like tomatoes, peppers and eggs.

Below-average rainy season

Kenya has been experiencing a below-average rainy season in some parts of the country in 2023 affecting agriculture, water supply and hydroelectric power generation. 

The short rains season, which runs from October to December, is particularly important for the agriculture sector as it provides water for planting and growing crops. In recent years particularly 2022 and 2023, the rainfall during this season has been below average recording between 26mm to 75 mm of depressed rainfall according to the NDMA January bulletin , with some areas receiving less than 50% of their expected rainfall. This has led to crop failures, water shortages and food insecurity in some parts of the country.

Interventions

Local governments and international communities have responded to food insecurity by providing food and nutrition assistance to affected communities, improving access to clean water, investing in climate-resilient crops, improving market infrastructure, promoting sustainable agriculture practices and promoting income-generating activities to support livelihoods. Despite these efforts, the high levels of acute food insecurity in Kenya and Tanzania remains a concern.

Canada addresses food insecurity by providing food banks. In 2023, it is predicted that there will be a 60% increase in Canadians accessing food banks monthly, according to Second Harvest, a national food service. However, despite the important role that food banks play in addressing food insecurity, they are not a long-term solution to the problem.