East Africa hunger, famine on the increase

from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
NAIROBI – SOME 257 million Africans – a fifth of the total  population’s 1.3 billion people are undernourished as hunger rises in the continent.

The conflict-prone Central and Western blocs are the most affected.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said the worsening trend in Africa was due to difficult global economic and worsening environmental conditions and, in many countries, conflict and climate variability and extremes, sometimes combined.

In addition, economic growth has slowed in 2016 due to weak commodity prices, in particular for oil and minerals.

Food insecurity has worsened in countries affected by conflict, often
exacerbated by drought or floods.

UNECA stated that the deterioration of the food security situation and the lack of progress towards the World Health Organisation global nutrition targets made it imperative for countries to step up their efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition by 2030.

Central and West Africa are the most affected by conflict and subsequent hunger in the continent.

Farmers cannot produce because of war.

In Southern Africa, farmers are battling years of successive droughts.

– CAJ News