World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

Niger is the worst country on earth in which to be a mother, according to a report by Save the Children. The charity's annual Mothers' Index uses statistics covering female and child health and nutrition, as well as prospects for women's education, economic prosperity and political participation in its assessment of 165 countries.

The executive director of the United Nations World Food Program says the international community "cannot and must not ignore" deepening food shortages in Niger, which are being aggravated by thousands of refugees fleeing fighting in northern Mali. (..) WFP's Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said this year's crisis in Niger is "even more complicated" than it has ever been in the past. "What you have is communities that are suffering from a failed harvest, so there is nothing in some markets. Where there is food in markets, because of high food prices, they can't afford it so they have no access," she said. "And, then you have the refugees coming into Niger.

One month ago, during my first week in office as WFP's Executive Director, I began convening daily operational briefings. Since then, each and every briefing has included fresh and ever more disturbing details of the tragedy unfolding across Africa's Sahel region. Now, visiting Niger, I am witnessing first hand the human consequences of this complicated complex crisis. (..) Women and children across this hot dry land cannot access enough food to eat.

The Sahel region of Africa is today suffering from drought and conflict. (..) The World Food Program (WFP), which relies on voluntary donations, lacks funding for this crisis. Denise Brown, the WFP director in Niger, says, "We do not have enough resources, cash or food, to cover the lean season." (..) On top of conflict, a drought has hit South Sudan. WFP says nearly 5 million people are suffering from hunger. (..) In Afghanistan, while donations from the U.S. and others have helped rescue the country from last year's massive drought, a $362 million relief and recovery operation by the WFP remains only 10 percent funded. (..) If we act now, we can save millions of lives in these areas.

With drought conditions chronic in the Sahel, many farmers give up trying to grow crops and head to towns and cities to find work. (..) But some agro-ecologists say governments, donors and farmers should not abandon agriculture in the Sahel, and despite being “very difficult”, with the right approaches, there is “huge potential” in natural regeneration, traditional irrigation methods, and simple alternatives such as crop diversification.

As Niger enters its annual "hunger season," efforts are being made by international aid agencies to try and prevent the country's food crisis turning into a famine. The BBC's Andrew Harding went to visit an initiative that is being run by the UN's World Food Programme, where he says women are trying to "push back the sands of the Sahara."

As Niger enters its annual "hunger season," efforts are being made by international aid agencies to try and prevent the country's food crisis turning into a famine. The BBC's Andrew Harding went to visit an initiative that is being run by the UN's World Food Programme, where he says women are trying to "push back the sands of the Sahara."

Several humanitarian organizations are warning about an upcoming hunger crisis in West Africa. According to a recent assessment, it might affect Niger in particular, where the situation is already critical. (..) The study was undertaken by a coalition of international humanitarian organizations including, Care, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the government of Niger supported the assessment.

Aid agencies say funding is urgently needed to stave off a food crisis in the band of dry, drought-ridden territory that stretches from Senegal to Chad called the Sahel. (..) Humanitarian workers say severe food shortages threaten more than six million people in Niger. All together, United Nations agencies, including the World Food Program, are calling for just over $1 billion to head off the food crisis in the Sahel this year.

More than six million people in Niger need immediate help as the country faces a persistent food crisis due to drought and a number of other factors, the UN and humanitarian group Oxfam said Monday. (..) The government in Niamey said last month that the country will face a cereal shortage this year of 692,000 tonnes, or 14 per cent of the needs of its population of 15 million.