The world’s humanitarian assistance and spending needs have more than doubled over the past decade, growing by around 127 percent. Around 40 percent of that went to the food and agriculture sectors. Those needs have intensifed over the past few years, as conflict and climate shocks have combined to increase the number of people worldwide who require humanitarian aid to fulfill basic daily food needs. In 2018, an estimated 113 million people across 53 countries experienced levels of acute hunger that required urgent humanitarian assistance, according to the 2019 Global Report on Food Crises, released April 2. While this number is down from the 2017 figure of 124 million people, it remains unacceptably high.
Photo: United Nations
