World hunger on the rise due to violent conflicts
The rising level of world hunger is mainly concentrated in countries affected by conflict and fragility. Violent conflict results in destroyed crops, assets and infrastructure, displaces people, limits (safe) access to markets, prevents farmers from accessing necessary inputs and from planting and harvesting, among other effects.
Living in such precarious environments, farmers and actors along the food chain employ various coping mechanisms that are at best detrimental to food availability, and at worst can contribute to further instability. Increasingly, these situations of conflict extend into protracted crises that combine long term instability with food crises – caused by the breakdown of livelihoods and food systems.
The promotion of food system-based livelihoods and economic activity is a crucial piece of the puzzle for moving towards greater stability, as agriculture accounts for two-thirds of employment and one-third of GDP in these contexts. Enabling food production and markets to function in these difficult environments requires intervention strategies that build on the agency of local populations and community structures.
Community of Practice on the food security – stability nexus
This Community of Practice aligns with the increasing realisation that achieving SDG2 will not be possible without tackling the root causes of conflict and instability. It supports stakeholders working on these issues and helps to identify effective intervention strategies and lessons by supporting and organising expert meetings, workshops, papers and other knowledge activities. Key issues include how food security interventions can help work towards more resilient households, communities and food systems, how they can contribute to stability and can bridge humanitarian and development programming in protracted crisis areas. The Community of Practice focuses on putting knowledge to work for improved policy and practice, and to identify specific knowledge needs to be addressed.
