WASHINGTON, US
With more than 41 million
people at risk during the lean season this year, Food insecurity situation is
becoming alarming in West and Central Africa.
This is according to the World
Bank which also estimates in a new report published on 12 April, that 29
million people are currently dependent on emergency food aid.
The financial institution
blamed the high incidence of malnutrition in the region on fragility and
conflict, high levels of poverty, accelerating climate change, low agricultural
productivity, and environmental degradation.
The latest warning on food
insecurity is also echoed by the the United Nations food agency the World Food
Programme (WFP) which estimates its figures as many as 48 million people across
western and central Africa as efforts to contain inflation contribute to food
shortages.
To address this, the world
bank on its part says it has adopted a regional approach to building food
system resilience notably by reallocating funds from ongoing operations,
triggering the Emergency Response Component (ERC), mobilising emergency
response funds from the International Development Association's (IDA) Special
Crisis Response Financing Window (CRW ERF), and working with humanitarian
actors to monitor food insecurity and design Food Security Preparedness Plans.
The $766 million West
Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) is expected to benefit over four
million people across the region. It aims to increase agricultural productivity
through the adoption of climate-smart technologies, promote inter-regional
value chains, and develop agricultural risk management capacity within the
region.
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