Western and Central Africa
Western and Central Africa continue to face protracted insecurity and political instability, with conflicts in Central Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, the Niger and Nigeria), and persistent armed violence in Central African countries such as in the Central African Republic. The impacts of such challenges are compounded by climate extremes, disease outbreaks and economic crises, including due to the socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Extreme poverty in the region has increased and the combined effects of these factors have led to a deterioration of food insecurity and malnutrition, especially in conflict-affected areas. This includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo – still the world’s largest food crisis.
News
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News
FAO and WFP early warning report reveals worsening hunger in 13 hotspots; five with immediate risk of starvation
16/06/2025
Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali remain hotspots of highest concern, and Democratic Republic of the Congo has returned as a hunger hotspot...
News
Acute food insecurity and malnutrition rise for sixth consecutive year in world’s most fragile regions – new report
16/05/2025
In 2024, over 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger—an increase of almost 14 million people compared to 2023, while...
News
Desert locust movements in Northwest Africa raise concern amid spring breeding season
29/04/2025
FAO calls to enhance monitoring and initiate early control measures in affected countries
Publications
Publications
Subregional West Africa: Project Highlights - OSRO/SFW/010/AUS
08/2025
In recent years, the Sahel region, and more specifically the central Sahel, which includes Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, has been facing increasing...
Publications
Cameroon: Emergency Project to Combat Food Crisis (PULCCA)
08/2025
The eastern region of Cameroon is facing a complex crisis characterized by increased insecurity, frequent climate shocks and economic instability.
Publications
Cameroon: Reducing humanitarian needs in the Far North by scaling up anticipatory actions
08/2025
In Cameroon, the Far North region is grappling with a worsening multidimensional crisis – climatic, humanitarian and security-related – that severely...
Multimedia
Photo Collection
Sierra Leone: Building resilient communities through climate-smart and market-driven production for improved
22/01/2025
View this gallery on Flickr
Photo Collection
Cameroon: Improving food security by supporting the productivity of smallholder farmers
19/05/2025
View this gallery on Flickr.
Photo Collection
Nigeria: DIEM-Monitoring Agricultural inputs survey, round 1
08/07/2024
View this gallery on Flickr.
Providing life-saving assistance in crisis-hit areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
20/08/2025
In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, escalating violence is worsening the food crisis.
Improving livelihoods and fostering resilience in northeastern Nigeria
14/08/2025
This documentary features personal stories from programme participants of the project “Scaling up Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainable Livelihoods in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba States”.
Improving food production of livestock keepers in Syria
23/06/2025
FAO, with the support of OCHA through Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF), provided a comprehensive package in its ongoing campaign to support livestock keepers in the governorates of As-Sweida, Daraa, Quneitra and Rural Damascus.
Diversifying livelihoods to build resilience in Somalia
22/05/2025
A documentation video of the project “UN Joint Action for Building Resilience in Somalia" funded from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank and implemented in southern Somalia over multiple phases.
Towards durable solutions: The transformative power of agriculture in refugee settings
30/05/2024
Forced displacement has reached a scale not seen since records began, and two in three refugees are live in a long-term displacement situation.
FAO’s emergency support to Ukraine’s agrifood sector during the war
22/04/2025
Since February 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has become a lifeline for Ukraine’s agricultural sector, supporting over 200 000 rural families and more than 15 000 farmers and agrifood producers.
Northeastern Nigeria: Emergency agricultural support for improved food security and nutrition
04/07/2024
In northeastern Nigeria, years of violence and the effects of climate change have forced already vulnerable households to flee their homes, destroying their livelihoods and triggering increased levels of food insecurity and malnutrition.
Boosting emergency food production among vulnerable populations in Burundi
26/03/2025
In Burundi, economic and climate shocks are severely disrupting people’s agricultural activities. The World Bank and FAO are working together to restore means of production and safeguard the livelihoods of 50 000 households affected by food insecurity.
Community Perspectives on Anticipatory Action in the Asia and the Pacific Region
17/03/2025
When disasters strike, communities are often the first to act to protect their families and neighbours. In response to the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, FAO is working with communities across the Asia-Pacific region to protect livelihoods and strengthen community resilience by implementing anticipatory action measures.
Government Perspectives on Anticipatory Action in the Asia and the Pacific Region
17/03/2025
In response to the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, governments across the Asia-Pacific region are protecting livelihoods and strengthening community resilience by implementing anticipatory action measures.
Supporting flood-affected populations in Cameroon through anticipatory action
04/03/2025
In Cameroon, FAO and the European Union supported flood-affected populations in the Logone Birni commune, through the implementation of anticipatory actions.
Flooding impact in Borno State
18/12/2024
Flooding has severely impacted all states in Nigeria in 2024, with the northeast and northwest being particularly hard hit.
Supporting smallholder dairy farmers in Georgia under ENPARD IV
27/12/2024
Konstantine Zarkua is a smallholder dairy farmer in the Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti region of Georgia. He has become a Lead Farmer of an FAO Farmer Field School, which was established in his home through the financial support of the European Union (EU) and Sweden, under the fourth phase of the European Neighbourhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD).
EU and FAO Project: Empowering Women Farmers for Food Security in Northern Ghana
02/01/2025
In Northern Ghana, women farmers are breaking barriers and transforming their communities through the FAO-European Union Food Security Response Project.
Flood anticipation and response in the Logone Birni Subdivision, Cameroon
24/01/2025
In 2024, incredible floods in the Logone Birni subdivision caused excessive damage. With the support of the General Directorate for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), FAO through its local partner Codas Caritas played a major role at the community level.
Strengthening animal health systems for a resilient future: FAO ECTAD’s impact in Asia-Pacific
25/02/2025
FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) plays a critical role in advancing animal health and global health security in Asia and the Pacific.
Cultivating hope and transforming landscapes and livelihoods in Somalia
11/02/2025
The Climate Resilient Agriculture in Somalia ‘Ugbaad’ project, named for "hope," in Somali is a transformative initiative aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening climate-resilient livelihoods, and enhancing food security for over 2 million Somalis.
FAO mitigates sandstorms impact on agricultural production in Syria
06/12/2024
Al Ghouta, a green belt area, is a significant supplier of vegetables and fruits for Damascus and rural Damascus. Thousands of farmers in this area rely on the production of fruits and vegetables to sustain their only source of livelihood in the face of pressures and challenges, especially climate change that puts the quality of vegetation and production rates at extreme risk.
Anticipatory Action in the Philippines: Safeguarding farmers' livelihoods from drought
13/01/2025
Anticipatory Action can reduce the impact of climate-induced disasters on rural communities. One example is the successful implementation of anticipatory action ahead of the El Niño-induced drought in Isabela Province, Philippines.
Strengthening Resilience: Anticipatory Action Flood Simulation in Sindh’s Flood-Prone Communities
30/12/2024
Breaking the national 30-year average rainfall record in Pakistan, the monsoon flooding in 2022 have affected 33 million people, wiping out agricultural lands, livestock assets, forests and critical agricultural infrastructure.