Addressing Food Crises in Violent Conflicts

Abstract

Food insecurity and hunger continue to threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Many of today’s food crises are linked to violent conflicts in various ways. The number of people affected by conflict-driven food crises increased from 77 million in 2019 to more than 99 million one year later, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen. The objective of food security ending hunger and malnutrition and enabling sustainable agricultural production as addressed by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 of ‘Zero Hunger’ therefore largely depends on the progress made on SDG 16 in promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. However, the severe food crises of the past decade have demonstrated the weaknesses in governing food (in)security in conflict settings. While national governments or belligerents are often unable or unwilling to respond adequately to food crises, humanitarian relief operations face the challenges of reaching those people most in need of food supply and simultaneously avoiding exacerbation of the conflict. This has left many of the affected communities having to find their own responses to food insecurity. If food crises are to be effectively addressed, research and policy actions need to tackle both food crises and violent conflict.