News: 50 million Africans face hunger after crops fail again

Bicassie

Quote:

Up to 50 million people in Africa will need food by Christmas as a crisis across the continent triggered by El Niño worsens, the UN and major international charities have warned.

A second year of deep drought in much of southern and eastern Africa has ravaged crops, disrupted water supplies and driven up food prices, leaving 31 million people needing food now, and 20 million more likely to run out this year.

A further 10 million people in Ethiopia, six million in southern Sudan and five million in Yemen were in danger of starvation after floods and drought, said the UN.

The severest El Niño in 30 years was expected to tail off in the next month as hot equatorial waters in the Pacific returned to normal temperatures, but its effects would be felt for many more months, said the World Food Programme. Stephen O’Brien, the UN’s humanitarian chief, said: “The collective impact of the El Niño phenomenon has created one of the world’s biggest disasters for millions of people, yet this crisis is receiving little attention.

“The numbers are staggering. One million children in eastern and southern Africa alone are severely acutely malnourished, and across southern Africa 32 million people need assistance and that figure is likely to increase.” The UN predicts that food will start running out on a large scale by July, with the crisis peaking between December and next April.

Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Madagascar, Angola and Swaziland have declared national emergencies or disasters, as have seven of South Africa’s nine provinces. Botswana, Kenya, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have also been badly hit.

In Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe has appealed for foreign aid to buy food and Malawi is expected to declare in the next few weeks that more than 8 million people, half the population, will need food aid by November. Maize prices have risen by 60% across much of the region within a few months.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-de...ter-crops-fail

This is a disaster........

Jan

This is tragic. I feel sorry for the people but what angers me even more is that not enough is being done to combat the problem at its roots. Why isn't contraception being promoted in African countries? These people shouldn't have children if they can't afford them a moderate wellbeing. Why do we give food instead of helping them grown their own? Of course, they might not be able to grow enough but we can't make groups of people fully dependent on foreign aid.

princedonte

Sad I hope they get the aid they need.

Bacratto

Quote:

Originally posted by Jan

This is tragic. I feel sorry for the people but what angers me even more is that not enough is being done to combat the problem at its roots. Why isn't contraception being promoted in African countries? These people shouldn't have children if they can't afford them a moderate wellbeing. Why do we give food instead of helping them grown their own? Of course, they might not be able to grow enough but we can't make groups of people fully dependent on foreign aid.

What? What does contraception have to do with El Niño affecting crops? Are you saying reducing the population will aid in reducing the impact of El Niño?
Helping them grow their own food? Did you even read the article or just the headline?
The El Niño phenomenon is affecting crops and food production. This has nothing to do with lack of knowledge for crop growing.

Kim Kardashian

So sad, hope our countries aren't ****** and send them food.

MadelineXPepito

Watch the Westerners hoard food without sharing and then throw away 60% of fresh produce to garbage. That's kinda our thing.

RihannasVeryOwn

Quote:

Originally posted by Bacratto

What? What does contraception have to do with El Niño affecting crops? Are you saying reducing the population will aid in reducing the impact of El Niño?
Helping them grow their own food? Did you even read the article or just the headline?
The El Niño phenomenon is affecting crops and food production. This has nothing to do with lack of knowledge for crop growing.

Any chance they get to portray Africans as stupid feral animals who do nothing but reproduce all day, they take. Africa is probably the continent that contributes the least to global warming, yet they're the ones to suffer the worst from it.
I hope something gets done and they're able to find the money to feed these people in time, the world is a horrible place right now

Bey Admired

Quote:

Originally posted by RihannasVeryOwn

Any chance they get to portray Africans as stupid feral animals who do nothing but reproduce all day, they take. Africa is probably the continent that contributes the least to global warming, yet they're the ones to suffer the worst from it.
I hope something gets done and they're able to find the money to feed these people in time, the world is a horrible place right now

!!!!!!!!

jxck

Doing everything in my power to change this. It's not going to be like this forever.

Quote:

Originally posted by MadelineXPepito

Watch the Westerners hoard food without sharing and then throw away 60% of fresh produce to garbage. That's kinda our thing.

Pretty much.

Rhetorical question - where is all this grain going?

Dylobs

that's awful

Hilly

i can't believe we are in 2016, and people are still starving to death. sad

B'Day

Something must be done.. EVERYONE has a right to have water, three meals a day & shelter.... I hope the (western) world is going to ignore Africa like they always do ... it's the birth place of humanity