Food Distribution Sahel

Despite the 2013 harvest in the Sahel being equivalent to the last five years average, preliminary figures indicate that at least 13 million people (excluding Nigeria) are still food insecure, due to limited access to food. The agricultural production of the poorest households is insufficient to restore their livelihoods and is expected to cover only their nutritional needs for the next two to three months. Thereafter they will depend entirely on markets.

Aggravating factors such as high food prices, population displacements and floods have further affected the livelihoods of vulnerable and food insecure households.

FAO is assisting more than 1.7 million beneficiaries in the Sahel by supporting food and livestock production, and providing livelihood protection and technical assistance.

To date, FAO has received USD 25.6 million for its operations in the Sahel. Additional funding is urgently needed to support vulnerable farmers, herders and pastoralists in the Sahel and to restore the agricultural productive means of vulnerable communities affected by conflict in Mali in the northern regions of Timbuktu, Gao, Kidal and Mopti.