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FAO emergencies and resilience

A turning point for food security 

Acute food insecurity has tripled since 2016 to nearly 300 million people, while humanitarian food sector funding has fallen back toward 2016 levels. Every dollar now has to achieve far more.   

Agriculture offers the strongest return: on average, each dollar invested in a farmer’s field produces USD 3 in local food value. Yet while up to 80% of acutely food-insecure people live in rural areas, only 5% of relevant funding supports food production.   

FAO’s 2026 Appeal calls for rebalancing global response efforts – scaling up and sequencing agricultural solutions alongside food and nutrition assistance to feed more people, more sustainably, at lower cost. 

Why a shift in approach is necessary  

The gap between food security needs and available funding is at an all-time high. Crises are deepening, shocks are intensifying, yet we continue to underinvest in agriculture – the most cost-effective tool we have. Supporting agricultural production addresses needs locally, reduces dependence on external aid and eases migration pressures. More food is produced where it is needed, by the people who need it, addressing why they need it.   

The scale and nature of today’s crises make this shift unavoidable, driven by converging pressures: 

In 2024, 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced high acute food insecurity (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification [IPC]/Cadre Harmonisé [CH] Phase 3 or above). This is the sixth consecutive annual increase and nearly three times higher than in 2016. At the most extreme end, the number of people facing starvation and death (IPC Phase 5) has risen ninefold: from 155 000 in 2016 to 1.4 million in 2025 – primarily due to conflict in the Gaza Strip and the Sudan, followed by South Sudan, Yemen, Haiti and Mali. These trends will not reverse without focusing on prevention.  

Acute food insecurity remains concentrated in the same locations. Thirty-five countries and territories have appeared in every Global Report on Food Crises for nine years. These protracted crises now account for over 80 percent of all people in IPC/CH Phase 3 or above. Annual Humanitarian Appeals have been issued in 13 of these same contexts for at least two decades. Protracted crises demand more than repeated cycles of short-term aid. 

Conflict, economic shocks and weather extremes are driving hunger to unprecedented levels. Since 2018, the number of people whose main driver of acute food insecurity is conflict almost doubled (from 74 million to 140 million). Those driven by weather extremes tripled (from 29 million to 96 million), while people affected primarily by economic shocks increased sixfold (from 10 million to 59 million). These forces are accelerating and compounding. Conflict has led to Famine in the Gaza Strip and parts of the Sudan in 2025, and risk of Famine in parts of South Sudan. High inflation in these and other contexts further restricts access to food. Climate shocks are hitting harder and more often, destroying food production and deepening food insecurity. Rural people, especially women and youth, are disproportionately affected. Building resilience to shocks reduces their impact. 

The 2026 outlook remains deeply challenging. Several contexts are at high risk of further deterioration. The Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Yemen, Mali and Haiti are of highest concern – with populations facing or at risk of Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, the Syrian Arab Republic and Afghanistan already have large populations facing critical levels of acute food insecurity, with needs expected to rise further through 2026. Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh also risk deteriorating acute food insecurity through May 2026. Forecasts must lead to actions that change the course of food crises. 

While acute hunger rises, financing falls drastically short. By November 2025, the Global Humanitarian Overview is only a quarter funded at USD 11.5 billion out of USD 45 billion required – the largest gap ever recorded.  
 
Due to steep funding cuts and shortfalls, the 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview was forced to hyper-prioritize: focusing on 114 million out of 300 million people in need and seeking USD 29 billion of the total requirement. And even for them, only 36 percent of financial needs were met by November 2025. 

Humanitarian food sector funding began declining after its peak in 2022: down 31 percent in 2023, followed by 5 percent in 2024 and 25 percent in 2025 under optimistic scenarios. This has reduced aid coverage, food rations and acute malnutrition treatment even for the most vulnerable. Rising needs cannot be met by doing less with less – cost effectiveness is now a humanitarian imperative. 

 The gap between needs and funding has never been greater

Funding gap chart

Source: Global Network Against Food Crisis. (forthcoming). Financing Flows and Food Crises report. Rome. 

Agriculture: the frontline of food security 

Agriculture is the foundation of our food supply, yet in times of crisis too little attention goes to securing food at its source. When farmers harvest, herders keep healthy livestock and fishers maintain their catch, food is available locally. Families earn income and access essential nutrition. Markets stabilize.  

This matters because most acutely food-insecure people are producers, not just consumers. Supporting their ability to produce food is far more cost-effective and sustainable than delivering food to rural families season after season. It is what over 70% of rural households are asking for: help to secure their next harvest, protect their livestock and rebuild their livelihoods.  

Agriculture is a decisive factor in food security:  

  • Declining harvests and herds drive hunger up.  
  • Restored production brings hunger down. 

To reverse rising food insecurity, agriculture must be leveraged at scale. This Appeal calls on partners to make that shift – in mindset, programming and investment. The goal is simple: assistance needs to strengthen local food systems, not continually replace them. 

FAO’s comparative advantage across emergency and resilience 

FAO protects and restores food production in crises and strengthens resilience to prevent recurring hunger.  

In emergencies, agricultural support is life-saving. Protecting livestock preserves daily milk for children. Emergency seed can put food on the table in as little as three months and sustain families for up to a year. 

For long-term resilience, FAO addresses the root causes of vulnerability by working with communities and local systems – cooperatives, suppliers, civil society and extension services – to stabilize livelihoods across seasons and shocks.  

FAO’s approach is evidence-driven and grounded in technical expertise to ensure that the right assistance reaches those most in need.  

Key focus areas   
Understanding acute food insecurity and food crises
Evidence has never mattered more. Sharp funding cuts are forcing zero-sum choices about which crises and populations to prioritize at a time of record need. These decisions require rigorous, impartial and timely food security data. 
Famine prevention and response
Helping people produce food locally is necessary to prevent Famine. Where conflict cuts off supply lines, local production can become the only food source, as tragically seen in Gaza. The urgency to secure short harvests, steady milk production for children and other vital nutrition cannot be overstated.
Protection from disasters and food chain threats
Prevention is among the least funded forms of aid, though it can save the most lives and money. Anticipatory action receives less than 1% of global humanitarian funding, yet every dollar invested generates up to seven in avoided losses and benefits for rural communities. Rural areas bear the brunt of climate and food system shocks – and their impacts ripple far beyond. Prevention must start there.
Emergency agricultural production
Emergency agriculture is life-saving and its benefits quickly multiply. Agriculture is how most rural families access and afford food. When production stops, they lose both the food itself and the income to buy it. Emergency agriculture restores both in the shortest time possible.
Durable solutions for forced displacement and migration
Restoring livelihoods where displaced people settle – and when they return – is essential for durable solutions. Many displaced people originate from and settle in rural areas. FAO works with both displaced and host communities to boost food production, increase income opportunities and create conditions for social cohesion.
Evidence of impact and the need to scale up

In 2024, FAO’s emergency and resilience programme assisted 42.4 million people across 75 countries, raising yields, protecting livestock and reducing negative coping mechanisms.   

In Afghanistan, families produced 360 kg more wheat than non-assisted farmers – enough to feed two additional people for a year. In Somalia, every dollar invested in seed produced more than five in food. In Chad, improved livestock production and child nutrition counselling cut severe acute malnutrition by 81%. In the Sudan, seed deliveries kept food in markets despite conflict. In Ukraine, cash plus livestock support helped 76% of assisted families avoid negative coping and meet their food needs for up to ten months.  

Agricultural assistance consistently delivers high returns and pays for itself. FAO has the tools and expertise to scale rapidly – but requires predictable, timely and greater funding to meet the scale of need.  

Afghanistan
Unprecedented nationwide support to Afghan farmers contributed to halving acute food insecurity – from 23 million to 9.5 million people (2021–25) – despite drought, floods, locusts and political transition.
Chad
Integrated animal health, feed and child nutrition counselling boosted milk production by 66%, raised children's milk intake by 40%, halved diarrhoea and respiratory illness, and cut severe malnutrition risk by 81%. 
Eastern Africa

Agriculture drives durable solutions by strengthening resilience, self-reliance and local integration. In Uganda, for example, agricultural support increased refugee incomes by 50%  and host incomes by 28%.

Haiti
By October 2025, FAO reached 120 000 people with combinations of crop, livestock, cash and voucher assistance across nine of Haiti's ten departments. 60% of households supported were in Grande Anse, where sustained efforts contributed to shift the department from IPC Phase 4 to Phase 3.
Mali
Integrated cash and livestock assistance made the difference during drought. Assisted households preserved their animals and generated USD 248 worth of milk monthly, while non-assisted households lost 40% of their animals – over USD 1 400 in assets.
Philippines: 72 hours before Super Typhoon Man-yi
Each dollar spent to protect a boat avoided USD 70 in losses. All protected boats survived, allowing fishers to resume work immediately. 
Somalia

Fodder value chain support contributed to a 38% increase in daily milk production and 71% rise in income from milk sales.

Sudan

In 2025, FAO reached 4 million Sudanese with quality seed, including 1.3 million in Darfur and Kordofan.

Global requirements
requirements2
 Regional requirements
Asia and the Pacific

USD 521.6 million to assist 30.5 million people 

Eastern Africa

USD 471.6 million to assist 18.4 million people 

Europe

USD 64.7 million to assist 358 713 people 

Latin America and the Caribbean

USD 111.9 million to assist 1.3 million people 

Near east and North Africa

USD 519.1 million to assist 29.2 million people 

Southern Africa

USD 179.6 million to assist 5.3 million people 

West and Central Africa

USD 593.4 million to assist 17.7 million people 

2026 country requirements

People first

FAO’s approach starts with people and their right to food. It centres on restoring agency to farmers and producers to lead their own recovery. 

Accountability in action 
Communities participate meaningfully in programme design, implementation and monitoring. Feedback mechanisms, accessible to all, guide programmes and build trust. 

Gender equality and empowerment 
FAO promotes women’s leadership, ensures equitable access to resources and elevates women's voices in decision-making. 

Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse 
FAO enforces the highest standards of conduct through mandatory training, clear reporting channels and survivor-centred support.  

Responsible delivery 
Strong compliance systems – safeguarding policies, partner vetting and monitoring – ensure assistance is delivered transparently and responsibly. 

Our commitment 
Across all its work, FAO protects people, upholds rights, amplifies voices and ensures that emergency assistance strengthens resilience. 

FAO delivers through strategic partnerships

FAO combines its core expertise with the strengths of local, national and international partners to maximize results. This wide network includes ministries, local organizations, NGOs, UN agencies, regional bodies and global partnership platforms like the Global Network Against Food Crises. 

In 2024, FAO delivered emergency and resilience support in partnership with 25 international organizations and more than 400 national and local partners – backed by 40 resource partners whose shared commitment and collaboration made this possible.

How partners can contribute 

FAO’s 2026 requirements sit within a broader 2026–2028 Plan. Partners can support through:

  • Unearmarked contributions to FAO’s Special Fund for Emergency and Resilience Activities (SFERA) for rapid, flexible emergency action.
  • Soft-earmarked funding for regions, countries or themes such as anticipatory action, also through SFERA.
  • Earmarked programmes, including multiyear commitments that enable long-term resilience planning.
FAO Global Appeal 2026 Cover

FAO's Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal 2026

Acute food insecurity has nearly tripled since 2016, while humanitarian funding is falling back to 2016 levels. Rising needs cannot be met by doing less of the same. FAO’s first Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal seeks USD 2.5 billion to assist over 100 million people in 54 countries in 2026.

Download the Global Appeal

 

 

FAO's Emergency and Resilience Plans
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Haiti is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and security crisis, with 51 percent of the population — 5.7 million people — in acute food insecurity.

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Madagascar: Emergency and Resilience Plan, 2026–2028 (In French)
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Madagascar is facing a deep and multidimensional crisis, marked by acute food insecurity, chronic malnutrition, the erosion of livelihoods, and worsening...

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Myanmar: Emergency and Resilience Plan, 2026–2028
12/01/2026

Myanmar continues to face compounded humanitarian, economic and environmental shocks that are undermining agricultural livelihoods and food security,...

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Niger: Emergency and Resilience Plan, 2026–2028 (In French)
18/12/2025

In Niger, the humanitarian crisis is marked by its complexity, its protracted nature and its multidimensional impacts.

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Nigeria: Emergency and Resilience Plan, 2026–2028
16/12/2025

Nigeria is facing one of the world’s most severe food crises, mainly driven by structural weaknesses, macroeconomic shocks, armed conflict, the impact...

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South Sudan: Emergency and Resilience Plan, 2026–2028
18/12/2025

Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has faced recurring conflict, climate shocks and economic fragility that have left its population highly...

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Sudan: Emergency and Resilience Plan, 2026–2028
07/01/2026

Since the eruption of conflict in April 2023, the Sudan is now the world’s largest humanitarian, displacement and hunger crisis, with conditions continuing...

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Syrian Arab Republic: Emergency and Resilience Plan 2026–2028
02/12/2025

After 14 years of conflict and recurrent climate shocks, the agriculture sector has been among the hardest hit in the Syrian Arab Republic, with severe...

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Ukraine: Emergency and Early Recovery Response Plan 2026–2028
17/12/2025

The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to disrupt agriculture, damaging assets, limiting market access and leaving large areas of farmland contaminated...

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Yemen: Plan of Action for Emergency, Resilience and Development 2025–2027
23/10/2025

Conflict, economic decline and climatic shocks continue to erode the resilience of rural communities in Yemen.

Video
FAO Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal 2026
15/12/2025

A turning point for food security.