COVID-19 will exacerbate Sahel food crisis

Subject

Sahel, COVID-19 and hunger.

Significance

The countries of the Sahel -- Chad, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso -- already among the world’s poorest, are now battling the novel coronavirus epidemic at a moment when the region’s security problems and longstanding environmental threats have combined to threaten a humanitarian crisis across large parts of the region. Adverse security conditions, notably in Burkina Faso, have combined with agricultural fragilities to leave close to 17 million people needing food aid by June-August -- more than double the number usually affected in an average year. That figure does not consider the potential impact of COVID-19, which cannot yet be accurately predicted but may well be most severe.

Impacts

• Stocks of the main cereal crops harvested in September-October will run low in June-September.
• Even the Sahel’s sophisticated hunger warning system will struggle to cope with COVID-19's negative effect on food production and aid.
• Poor nutrition and other infectious diseases may offset lower mortality from youthful populations.