• The organisation says globally 45 countries are in need of external assistance for food.
• Regional highlights estimate that there will be larger harvests in East Africa and Southern Africa despite floods and outbreaks of desert locusts.
Kenya is among 34 African countries in need of external food assistance.
This is according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) quarterly global report on early warning system on crop prospects and food situation that was released this month.
The organisation says globally 45 countries, including 34 in Africa, are in need of external assistance for food.
These countries include Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone, among others.
“The effects of Covid-19, particularly through the loss of income and jobs related to containment measures, have severely aggravated global food security conditions," the FAO report says.
It further says that conflicts and weather shocks have remained critical factors affecting the current high levels of severe food insecurity.
But regional highlights estimate that there will be larger harvests in East and Southern Africa despite floods and outbreaks of desert locusts.
The report indicated that harvesting of the 2020 main season cereal crops is underway or about to start in some parts of East Africa.
“Above-average harvests are forecast in the Sudan, Tanzania and Kenya, reflecting abundant rains that are expected to result in an increase in yields. The heavy rains however, also triggered flash floods and caused localised crop losses."
In Kenya, about 980,000 people were estimated to be severely food insecure between April-July 2020.
They were mainly located in northern and eastern areas. The report attributes the situation to livelihood losses due to floods in late 2019 and localised damages to crops and pastures due to desert locusts.
In Ethiopia, about 8.5 million people were estimated to be severely food insecure between July and September.
The report attributed food insecurity in Ethiopia to below-average harvest, localised crops and pasture losses due to locusts and the negative impact of the restrictive measures related to the Covid-19 pandemic on food prices and incomes.