Conflicts drag down food security amid growing global food outputFAO report notes rebounding harvests in most low-income food-deficit countries21 September 2017, Rome-- Robust harvests in Latin America and rebounding agricultural conditions in Southern Africa are on course to improve the global food supply situation, but ongoing civil conflicts and climate-related shocks are affecting progress towards hunger reduction, according to the new edition of FAO's Crop Prospects and Food Situation report. Hurricanes in the Caribbean and floods in West Africa are likely to hamper local farm outputs, but broader food production trends are positive, buoyed by expectations of record cereal outputs in several countries. Some 37 countries, 28 of which are in Africa, require external assistance for food, according to the quarterly report. Weather shocks in 2017, including droughts, have also compounded the impacts in some countries, notably Somalia and southern Ethiopia. Rebounding from El NiñoGlobal cereal production is forecast to reach a record level in 2017, pegged at 2 611 million tonnes.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 21, 2017 09:33 UTC