Global food crisis response program

She is one of women mobile masons trained and hired across 14 districts most affected by the earthquake under the IDA-supported Earthquake Housing Reconstruction Project.

At a time when many field engineers are not able to be present on the ground due to COVID related restrictions, locals like Kamala have become sought-after. IDA continues to find creative ways to support investments that promote jobs and financial inclusion. At the end of , million people in IDA countries were experiencing food insecurity , and that number is expected to rise in and Between and , the program reached Projects have an ongoing focus on those who are caught in the crosshairs of the pandemic: women, children, refugees, people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.

As the frequency and impact of zoonotic disease outbreaks like COVID—infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans—has increased over the past two decades, IDA is working closely with countries to support their efforts to better conserve and sustainably manage biodiversity.

Manhica is one of 40 community leaders who completed training on identifying restoration opportunities and selecting feasible interventions, thanks to the IDA-funded Mozambique Conservation Areas for Biodiversity and Development Project.

The restoration of degraded land is a priority for Mozambique—a country endowed with more than 32 million hectares of natural forest that are home to 6, plants, birds, and mammal species. IDA's support is protecting habitats while improving the lives of 20, people, almost half of which are women, around the national parks by providing alternative income-generating activities. Rainy seasons are growing shorter and the dry seasons are longer, sometimes lasting up to nine months.

The drought in was particularly arduous. With temperatures in the Sahel increasing 1. As the stories of Mozambique and the Sahel illustrate, it is imperative to act now on climate. Protecting natural ecosystems and biodiversity and addressing the impacts of climate change are a critical part of the blueprint, as countries embark on a green, inclusive and resilient recovery.

Globally, more than million people go to bed hungry every day. We amplify the impact of development assistance with the goal of fighting hunger. We support resilient and sustainable agriculture systems that benefit and empower vulnerable smallholder farmers and their families. Every day, we help empower millions of farmers. More than 16 million rural people , including approximately 6. Our public sector investments directly address climate change through mitigation and adaption technologies such as resistant seed varieties, more efficient irrigation and drought resistant mulching.

Until three years ago, Remzi Bala had a small family homestead in central Kosovo, but with just one old tractor and no livestock, he struggled to make the farm productive, let alone profitable. That changed in , when he applied for his first loan with KEP Trust, a leading microfinance institution in Kosovo. Good food begins with farmers, and things started to change when GAFSP began investing in rural farming communities in Nepal. A family business helps millions suffering from acute malnutrition.

Ending Poverty and Hunger We work to improve food and nutrition security through effective partnerships, strategic development, and targeted use of funds. The loss of jobs and income due to the economic lockdowns is causing financial hardship for many households and will affect their ability to buy food and other necessities.

The poorest—with little or no access to social protection programs—will be the hardest hit. The contraction of food purchasing power, in general, will affect the type and quantity of food products demanded by consumers.

Future agricultural production is threatened by the lack of labor, services, and inputs. Across the tropics and sub-tropics, April and May are the beginning of the major agricultural production season. Businesses providing seeds, fertilizers, mechanization services, and livestock feed will be constrained in their abilities to deliver the quantities needed on time.

Farmers may find it difficult to pay for inputs and services. Labor shortages—due to border closures, movement restrictions, and worker illness—will also be problematic, particularly for high-value, labor-intensive commodities.

Timeliness of land preparation and planting is a major concern for rainfed crops. Delayed planting will result in certain production declines for the coming season, prolonging and deepening the impact of the pandemic. Small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs that provide most production and post-farm agricultural services face financial ruin as a result of the economic shutdowns mandated for pandemic control.

Over the past decade, the United States through the Feed the Future program has been at the forefront of supporting country policies and programs to stimulate private-sector-led agricultural growth, mainly through SMEs. In the absence of safety net programs, widespread business failures will hollow out the agribusiness service sector. Delays in deliveries of essential foods and agricultural inputs will affect food supplies for many months to come. The loss of jobs and incomes is already reducing agriculture-related demand and threatening gains made on poverty and nutrition in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade.

The United States has the capacity to step up and prevent the Covid pandemic from creating a food security crisis that results in unimaginable human suffering. The United States can draw on deep expertise in humanitarian relief programs to address immediate needs while laying the groundwork for economic and social recovery.

To be clear, the Covid pandemic is posing challenges to food security on a global scale that we have not encountered to date. Still, experience from past crises—from the international response to the global food price crisis and Ebola outbreaks—show the importance of coordinated crisis response and sustained focus on effective interventions. The United States can also build on the successful experience of Feed the Future in strengthening private-sector-led, sustainable market systems as the foundation for advancing food security.

However, the economic shutdown poses a grave risk to food supply, production, and livelihoods. The leadership of the United States was crucial in developing a response that helped avert the worst consequences following the crisis.