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
Cameroon: DIEM – Data in Emergencies Monitoring brief, round 6
01/2025
This Data in Emergencies Monitoring (DIEM-Monitoring) brief shares the results of a sixth-round assessment conducted in September and October 2024 in...
Publications
Sierra Leone: Project Highlights - OSRO/SIL/200/IRE
01/2025
Extreme climate vulnerability, conflicts between livestock and crop farmers, inflation of rice, fuel and agricultural inputs prices, depreciation of...
Publications
Sierra Leone: DIEM – Data in Emergencies Monitoring brief, round 12
12/2024
This Data in Emergencies Monitoring (DIEM-Monitoring) brief shares the results of a twelfth-round assessment conducted in September and October 2024...
Multimedia
Photo Collection
Sierra Leone: Building resilient communities through climate-smart and market-driven production for improved
22/01/2025
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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.
The added value of the Data in Emergencies information system
08/07/2022
In recognition of the need to better understand the impact of shocks on agricultural livelihoods in food crisis contexts, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has established the Data in Emergencies information system.
Data in Emergencies information system introductory video
08/07/2022
In recognition of the need to better understand the impact of shocks on agricultural livelihoods in food crisis contexts, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has established the Data in Emergencies information system.
Action Against Desertification - Haiti
07/01/2021
Action Against Desertification is an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) to restore drylands and degraded lands in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impact of land degradation and desertification.
World Food Day - Words from Syria
12/10/2022
The farmers in Syria desire to turn the abandoned bare lands to productive farms, besides their passion for farming, it secures their families with food, and maintain their livelihoods.
Simulating livestock evacuations to save livelihoods in Viet Nam
20/09/2022
With the increasing attention to change the way how disasters are managed, with support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), FAO Viet Nam in close collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority conducted the Anticipatory Action (AA) Simulation Exercise in Quang Tri Province of Viet Nam.
Seed systems in emergencies
13/09/2022
This animated video explains the significance of seed systems in emergency context and why it is crucial to strengthen and rebuild seed systems after disaster. The video gives examples from a project in response to cyclones Idai and Kenneth in southern African countries in 2019.
North West and South West crisis in Cameroon: Resilience in the face of local hardship
09/09/2022
Njeni Melisa Ojong, a beneficiary of the Emergency livelihoods and nutrition support to vulnerable populations SWNW crisis explains how FAO support has enabled her to regain financial stability and food security after fleeing her crisis-affected locality to the city of Buea.
FAO, working with the Government of Pakistan to eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease
09/09/2022
FAO is working with the Government of Pakistan to eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). Economic losses from FMD can be over USD 300 per infected animal, resulting in USD 692 million.
Humanitarian Assistance to drought effected pastoralists in Kenya
09/09/2022
Kenya is facing its third La Niña induced drought in a decade. An estimated 3.1 million people are facing acute food insecurity and in need of humanitarian assistance.
Solar Powered Water Pumps In Yemen
13/05/2020
Yemen is predominantly a rural country, with close to 70 percent of its population living outside urban areas. Irrigated agriculture is the primary source of food, employment and economic activity.
State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022
06/07/2022
Despite hopes the world would emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and food security would begin to improve, world hunger rose further in 2021. The prevalence of undernourishment jumped from 8% in 2019 to 9.8% in 2021.
Rehabilitated water canal restores livelihoods of farmers in rural Hama, Syria
03/08/2022
FAO, with the support of OCHA, has conducted rehabilitation works to more than 60 kilometers of irrigation network in Mhardeh, which irrigates 2,670 hectares of land, and restored the livelihoods of more than 2 100 households in over 15 villages.
Anticipatory Action in Southeast Asia
07/07/2022
Southeast Asia is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world where communities and governments need to continuously think innovatively about planning and acting to reduce the impact of natural disasters.
Torrential floods hit the Sudan – Suad’s story
13/05/2021
Heavy rains caused devastating flooding across the Sudan in September 2020, with the River Nile reaching water levels not seen for nearly a century.
East Africa and Yemen region free from Desert Locust
23/06/2022
Starting in late 2019, the largest upsurge of desert locusts in living memory darkened the skies of East Africa and Yemen, threatening to wipe out crops and pastures in a region already beset by hunger.
Building resilience and promoting durable solutions in Somalia
10/05/2022
As part of the ProAct programme, FAO, with the support of the European Union, implemented a project that has resulted in the rehabilitation of 24 ancillary structures
Becoming heroes in the fight against desert locusts
21/10/2021
In Kenya, Sergeant Brian and the National Youth Service are winning the battle against a dangerous pest and food insecurity.
Reducing food losses for smallholders in food deficit areas: a project by the Rome-based UN agencies
02/10/2020
The video presents the main achievements of the UN Rome-based Agencies project ““Mainstreaming food loss reduction initiatives for smallholders in food deficit areas” project, jointly implemented by the Rome-Based UN Agencies (RBA)”
Improving the resilience of family farmers to climate change
13/12/2018
FAO, IFAD and national governments are supporting family farmers from West and Central Africa to adapt small-scale irrigation systems to climate change to be more resilient.