What's New

The risk of famine continues to grow in South Sudan as a result of continued and spreading conflict. According to a new IPC Alert released this week, by July, as many as 7.8 million South Sudanese—more than half the analyzed population—will face acute food insecurity, while around 73,000 people in four counties will be at risk for IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) levels of food insecurity, including famine and starvation.

In Malawi, the food system remains stubbornly centered on maize, dominating both production and consumption despite clear policy ambitions for greater crop and diet diversity. While nutritionists and agronomists warn of its limited nutritional value and its vulnerability to climate change, average consumption remains high at 2.8 kg per person per week. This dependence on a single staple leaves the nation’s food security at constant risk of harvest failure.

Acute food insecurity continues to rise in Somalia, according to a new IPC alert. From early 2025 to February 2026, the number of people in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or above food insecurity has nearly doubled, with as many as 6.5 million people now classified as acutely food insecure. Worsening drought, combined with conflict and rising food prices, is largely to blame for the severity of the country’s food and nutrition security crisis.

Formally including Ugandan women in commercial agriculture—through contract ownership or behavior-change interventions—can increase women’s empowerment without reducing productivity, and with positive spillovers for household welfare and gender relations.Estimates suggest that there are 475 million smallholder farms in low- and middle-income countries, including 43 million in sub-Saharan Africa (Lowder et al. 2016, FAO 2017).

We often talk about war and weather as separate disasters. But for a farmer, they are a combined force. New research shows that conflict doesn't just disrupt a single harvest; it destroys the economic systems and the very soil that families need to survive an unpredictable climate.