A QUARTER OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION ON BRINK OF TRIPLE CRISIS WARNS ACTIONAID
Report complements the FAO’s State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) report, ActionAid Calls for G20 Leaders to Take Urgent Action at Upcoming Summit
Washington D.C. – As the global population hits 7 billion this month, ActionAid warned today in a new report that a triple crisis of climate change, depleted natural resources and soaring food prices could limit the ability to feed them all.
Based on new research in 28 poor countries, ActionAid’s report, On the Brink: Who's Best Prepared for a Climate and Hunger Crisis? reveals which poor nations are most prepared for this triple crisis and which are perilously close to the brink. The 10 countries ranked most vulnerable – DRC, Burundi, South Africa, Haiti, Bangladesh, Zambia, India, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Rwanda - account for a quarter of the world’s population.
Countries most ready to face the triple crisis include Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Brazil scored top of ActionAid’s preparedness survey by announcing US$10 billion to support small scale farms, enshrining the right to food in its constitution, and making national plans to climate proof its agriculture. Rwanda has set an ambitious 25 year plan to reverse land and forest degradation. And Malawi is promoting organic fertilizers, building up a nation-wide system of food reserves, and drafting a national adaptation plan to help rural communities cope with climate shocks.
ActionAid urges world leaders meeting at next month’s G20 summit in France to put solutions to this triple crisis at the top of their agenda. Solutions suggested by ActionAid include expanded investment and support for smallholder farmers, prohibiting biofuels mandates and land grabs, and the establishing a regional food reserve program to assist in crisis situations.
“It’s great that the G20 have put food security on their agenda. But with 78 million more children to feed each year by 2050, there is not a minute to lose. Governments need to deliver on their pledges to support women smallholder farmers,” said Neil Watkins, ActionAid USA’s Director of Policy and Campaigns. “Women are a majority of farmers in Africa, but they only get 7% of extension services and 1% of all agricultural credit. G20 governments should meet their pledges to support smallholder farmers by supporting the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).”
One of the driving factors of this ‘trilemma’ is the conversion from food to fuel. “The era of cheap food is over,” says Marie Brill, Senior Policy at ActionAid USA. “Food prices - driven by rich nations’ insatiable demand for biofuel and food commodities - will continue to rise, unless urgent action is taken to reduce developing countries’ mandates for dirty biofuels.”
“In times of crisis and famine, emergency food reserves are a promising safety net. With all the warning signs there for a food shortage, we need more than just crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. The G20 must support the World Food Program’s regional reserves pilot program for West Africa. It is better to be safe than sorry,” said Brill.
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ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency working in 50 countries, taking sides with poor people to end poverty and injustice together. Together with more than 2,000 civil society partners worldwide, ActionAid works with and supports the poorest and most vulnerable people to fight for and gain their rights to food, shelter, work, basic healthcare and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. View the website at www.actionaidusa.org.
Notes to Editors:
ActionAid’s key findings reveal that:
• At least 10 countries, accounting for more than 1.5 billion of the world's population, are highly vulnerable to a climate-related food crisis. Overall, climate change could add another half a billion people to those facing chronic hunger around the world by 2050. Every rural community surveyed across Africa, Asia and the Americas said that erratic and extreme weather was crippling their ability to feed themselves.
• Unsustainable farming practices and an unprecedented rush from foreign investors to control resources such as minerals, oil, biofuel and water, could leave millions of the poorest people without enough arable land to produce food. In Africa alone, over 6 million hectares of degraded farmland must be regenerated to meet the demand for food from a population set to double by 2050.
• A dangerous new era of high food prices is set to push 44 million more people into poverty. The demand for biofuel – produced from wheat, corn, soybean and sugarcane - means that food prices will keep rising unless rich countries find alternative sources of energy. Click here to download the report: On the Brink: Who's best prepared for a climate and hunger crisis?
Which countries are most vulnerable to a triple crisis?
From most to least vulnerable: Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, South Africa, Haiti, Bangladesh, Zambia, India, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Liberia, Tanzania, Guatemala, Nepal, Pakistan, Mozambique, Cambodia, Lesotho, Vietnam, Kenya, Malawi, China, Brazil, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, The Gambia, Ghana.
Which countries are most prepared for the triple crisis?
From most to least prepared: Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nepal, Uganda, Bangladesh, Haiti, South Africa, China, Lesotho, Zambia, Burundi, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, India, Mozambique, Nigeria, Guatemala, Vietnam, The Gambia, Kenya, Cambodia, Senegal, DRC, Pakistan.
How did ActionAid carry out its research?:
ActionAid’s report surveys 28 developing countries. We examined the record of these countries in two core areas: overall vulnerability to the climate/hunger crunch, and key policy measures that can reduce vulnerability. These are measured by our vulnerability and capacity /preparedness indicators (see tables 1and 2 in the report). This enables us to determine the most appropriate strategies for tackling hunger and pinpoint the areas that will need the most attention – now and in the future.
The scorecard vulnerability index assesses countries’ vulnerability to increasing hunger in the face of climate change. It uses current hunger levels and child malnutrition rates to assess underlying food insecurity. It then looks at pre-existing environmental and land degradation as a simple proxy for likely vulnerabilities of the agricultural sector in the present and in the future.
Our capacity and preparedness index gauges policy interventions that can mitigate hunger and climate risks, such as increased support for agriculture, rural development and smallholder farmers, while also assessing countries’ plans to adapt their agricultural sectors to increasing pressures from climate change.