Af remains most food-insecure country: UN

Afghanistan continues to top the list of countries facing severe food insecurity, with more than 12 million people in urgent need of food assistance and 75 per cent of the population facing livelihood instability, according to a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The report, released on July 30, highlights that 295 million people across 53 countries are currently experiencing acute hunger — an increase of 13 million from 2023. Afghanistan remains the worst-affected nation, followed by Ethiopia, Nigeria, Congo, Syria and Yemen.

Afghanistan has featured consistently on FAO’s chronic hunger list since 2016 due to a combination of political upheaval, humanitarian crises and climate change.

The FAO stated that “widespread poverty remained one of the main drivers of Afghanistan’s worsening food insecurity,” with the return of over 1.6 million migrants from Iran and Pakistan, declining international aid, and rigid economic restrictions pushing millions deeper below the poverty line. “According to the UN, 75 percent of Afghanistan’s population faces livelihood insecurity, and over 12 million people urgently need food assistance,” the report said.

Consecutive droughts, widespread unemployment and damaged agricultural infrastructure have significantly reduced Afghanistan’s capacity for food production.

In provinces like Ghor and Badakhshan, prolonged droughts have “destroyed crops and disrupted livestock farming — the main source of rural income.