Caritas Internationalis Calls for Action to Address “severe food insecurity” in Africa

In the report, the agency of the United Nations (UN) projected that the statistics of food insecure people will increase “to an unprecedented 38.3 million” between June and August 2022. 

In a separate report, officials of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) say 18.4 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are in need of immediate food assistance because of the drought and severe food insecurity.

UNOCHA officials add that the number of food insecure people in the Horn of Africa nations may increase to 20 million by September this year.

In the July 18 report, CI officials say governments ought to “take action and keep high attention on the worsening of the global food crisis and its negative impact on the full realization of the right to food.”

They add that governments need to “pay increased attention to the role of local actors in addressing rapidly the food crisis and also working for longer-term solutions.”

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Officials of the global confederation of Catholic relief agencies have also called for sustainable solutions to address the food crisis in the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions.

“Address the structural problems within food systems. From the production of food, its distribution, its marketing and its consumption. It is important to promote agriculture that is friendly to the environment and minimizes carbon emissions,” they say. 

CI officials further say in the July 18 report, “The role of the local actors is essential and it is key to empower them for sustainable solutions.” 

They add, “Caritas Internationalis urges governments to empower local livestock farmers through information sharing on agroecological practices and sustainable financing for initiatives that are friendly to the environment and minimizes carbon emissions.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.