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On 12 November 2025 AndFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and world food program (WFP) published a joint report that sounds the alarm about the state of global food security. Both agencies have warned of a “shrinking window to prevent millions more people from facing acute food insecurity”.
The report identifies sixteen areas around the world where there is serious risk food crisis is growing.
If immediate and coordinated action is not taken, this could lead to a major humanitarian emergency.
War blocks food supplies
Armed conflict is the main cause of food shortages in most of the countries mentioned in the report. Prolonged violence, destruction of arable land, large-scale displacement and blocking of humanitarian corridors drastically reduce access to food.
Sudan One of the most important areas is; After months of intense fighting, millions of people are trapped in areas where markets have collapsed and aid delivery is nearly impossible. FAO has warned that some areas could soon reach the technical threshold of famine if the situation cannot be stabilized.
yemen In such a situation, more than 40% of the population is experiencing severe levels food crisisThe destruction of essential infrastructure and fuel shortages hinder the arrival of imports, on which much of the country’s diet depends,
In PalestineThe report highlights that chronic instability and restrictions on the movement of essential goods have further reduced food availability, leading to a sharp decline in nutritional indicators.
The situation is also worrying gardener and Burkina Faso, where insecurity and unstable regional controls are causing market disruptions, agricultural trade disruptions, and significant losses in crop production.
In Burkina Faso, the poorest households living in conflict-affected areas face “market disruptions and limited humanitarian assistance”, according to the latest food security analysis.
These dynamics can also be seen in Mali, where the same conditions are causing “a rapid decline in local food consumption and nutrition levels”. This diagnosis is supported by data from the Integrated Food Safety Stage Classification scale. This put the proportion of the country’s population suffering from inadequate food consumption at around 52% in September 2025.
Economic shocks increase insecurity
The second driver of food insecurity is economic instability, manifested through rising food prices, depreciation of local currencies, and rising prices of fuel and agricultural supplies.
In Haiti, this situation has been exacerbated by violence and disruption of normal market functioning, leaving millions of people extremely vulnerable. Approximately 5.7 million Haitians, more than half the country, already face severe food insecurity, and this figure continues to rise.
Similar conditions can be seen in Myanmar and Ethiopia, where currency devaluation and disruption in economic activity have increased the price of basic food items. This has resulted in a huge reduction in the purchasing power of families.
Central role of climate crisis
The third major factor is Climate changeClimate is no longer limited to sporadic events, climate is now a structural driver of vulnerability, with prolonged drought, flash floods, cyclones and heat waves repeatedly affecting areas where agriculture depends heavily on seasonal rainfall,
About the author
José Miguel Soriano del Castillo, Professor of Nutrition and Bromatology at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the University of Valencia.
This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article,
The Horn of Africa is a clear example of this. After five consecutive seasons of failed rains, millions of herders and farmers lost their livestock and crops, leading to mass displacement and a dramatic increase in dependency on nutrition programs.
The WFP report emphasizes that these events, intensified by El Niño-related variations, will occur again. In countries such as South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia, drought followed by excessive rainfall often destroys infrastructure, destroys crops and contaminates essential water sources.
vanishing humanitarian aid
The fourth factor, and one of the most important to understand the magnitude of the problem, is the severe shortfall in humanitarian financing. WFP has warned that the amount of money available this year could be around $6.4 billion: far less than the amount needed to sustain its global operations and well below previous levels. This will force him to cut rations, suspend nutrition programs and strictly prioritize the most vulnerable beneficiaries.
These cuts have direct consequences. In areas where conflict prevents access to food and local markets have collapsed, humanitarian aid is the only source of livelihood. If funding remains inadequate, millions of people will be at risk of rapidly moving from a crisis situation to a severe food emergency or even famine.
WFP itself has reported that resource constraints are seriously compromising its ability to anticipate seasonal or climate-related hunger increases, limiting the scope of action in some of the planet’s most vulnerable areas.
question of global stability
The FAO-WFP report shows that food is not just a household issue or a matter of personal habits. Food insecurity is both a symptom and cause of instability, with impacts on public health, local economies and migratory movements.
The interdependence of global markets means that the impact of food crises in the sixteen hunger hotspots identified will extend far beyond their immediate surroundings, creating additional stress on importing countries and vulnerable economies.
Despite the cautionary tone, the report concludes that it is still possible to avoid the steep decline projected for 2026. It states that investing in livelihoods, resilience and social protection before hunger reaches its peak would be “a smart investment in long-term peace and stability”.
It also emphasizes that agricultural assistance – in areas such as seeds, livestock health and early action – is essential to stabilize food production and reduce reliance on emergency aid. At the same time, it warns that funding shortfalls and disruptions to humanitarian access are seriously compromising the ability to act in a timely manner, and ignoring this window of opportunity will impose an incalculable humanitarian cost.