On July 17, the agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea will expire. Russia appears unwilling to renew the agreement, raising concerns about the impact on Yemen and other countries.
Ukraine is a major producer of grains and oils, and the disruption of its exports caused by the outbreak of war has driven global food prices to record highs. Ukrainian grain is a significant component of supplies shipped through the corridor used by the United Nations World Food Program to aid countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and Yemen.
The WFP gets the majority of its supplies from Eastern Europe, which is closer to the main producers in North or South America.
The current agreement between Russia and Ukraine has helped lower prices and ease the global food crisis, but Moscow says there is no reason to extend it.
Prices for some staple foods are likely to rise, but the situation is better than it was in the months following the outbreak of the war, owing to increased grain supplies from other producers such as Russia and Brazil. The World Food Program, on the other hand, announced last month that multiple emergencies had intertwined, resulting in the largest and most complex global hunger and humanitarian crisis in more than 70 years.
It has previously been reported that areas controlled by Yemen's legitimate government have a lower level of food insecurity than in 2022, but the number of people facing severe acute food insecurity remains high. This year, the number of people in desperate need is expected to rise.
Food security refers to all people having physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences in order to live an active and healthy life. And that capacity must always be available.
Yemen's conflict, along with economic decline, reduced access to basic services, and dwindling funding, is one of the causes of food insecurity. Yemen was ranked 113th in the global food security index, with 41.4 percent of people undernourished and 39.9 percent of children underweight.
Although Yemen's conflict and the global crisis are having a negative impact on food security, mismanagement of resources prior to the conflict has made the country less resilient in the face of the crisis. Yemen, for example, has very low strategic food storage capacities, and drought, extreme weather events, and people's disengagement from agriculture all contribute to a lack of local food production. Competition for resources has become a major driver of conflict in Yemen and may continue to do so in the future. Yemen ranks 113th in the world in terms of food security capacity to sustain and adapt.
Food security is a pressing concern in conflict zones such as Yemen, where people face significant barriers to obtaining sufficient and nutritious food. Innovative approaches involving technology integration and strategic partnerships, on the other hand, have shown promise in addressing this critical issue. Humanitarian actors can facilitate more efficient food distributions by leveraging digital solutions such as mobile applications that provide real-time information on market prices and availability.
Furthermore, through knowledge-sharing programs that focus on sustainable technologies tailored to the specific needs of conflict-affected areas, collaborations between local farmers and international organizations can improve agricultural practices and increase crop yields.
Building resilient food systems necessitates investments in infrastructure development, such as storage facilities and irrigation systems, which aid in mitigating the effects of conflict on agricultural production.
Furthermore, the establishment of comprehensive social protection mechanisms ensures that vulnerable communities receive consistent nutrition assistance during times of crisis. These multifaceted efforts support an expert-led strategy to improve food security in the face of the adversities associated with Yemen's conflict.
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