Food Crisis and Related Risk Factors

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.

Over the past 10 years, food and nutrition crises have shifted from one-off emergencies to protracted conditions in many regions around the world, according to the 2026 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) released today. Since 2016, the global share of people facing acute food insecurity has nearly doubled. In 2025, 266 million people across 47 countries/territories experienced acute food insecurity; what’s more, 33 of those countries have appeared in every GRFC edition released since the report’s inception in 2016.

Countries in West and Central Africa are facing a food crisis with multiple causes. Estimates in late December 2025 suggested that 41.8 million people were already in crisis or worse in October-December 2025. The number was expected to rise to 52.8 million in June-August 2026.

Military and paramilitary groups exert substantial influence globally, serving as the primary power base for regimes in forty-two different nations.

Key takeawaysCrop insurance can help smallholder farmers in Africa and elsewhere manage climate risk and stabilize livelihoods in the face of droughts and extreme weather.Although insurance has ​evolved to become more affordable, further innovation is needed to ensure high-quality products that cover farmers’ needs.Scaling coverage requires better product design, farmer education, and links to credit and inputs and in some cases smart subsidies. As climate change impacts intensify, African economies face increasing exposure to extreme weather events.