Half of the 2.3 billion people experiencing food insecurity globally in 2021 were in Asia, according to the latest United Nations report on The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.
The situation is worsening, driven by a mix of conflict, political instability, and extreme weather events in the region, Michael Belaro, cash assistance coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Asia-Pacific, told Devex. In addition, many countries are still recovering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
In Afghanistan, the percentage of the population covered by humanitarian food assistance has already been predicted to fall from 38% to 8% from June to November 2022 due to lack of funding. In Sri Lanka, food inflation reached a record high of 90% last month, making staple food items such as rice unaffordable for many families, according to the World Food Programme.