23 African countries face food emergencies.

• Author: Ayres, Ed
• Position: Environmental Intelligence - Brief Article

At least 25 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are in urgent need of food aid, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). About half of them are in Ethiopia. Another 5.5 million are in Zimbabwe, and 1.9 million are in Sudan. Other countries with large populations imperiled by food shortages include Angola, Eritrea, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Several factors have contributed to the food shortages. Armed clashes in Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have driven millions of poor farmers from their homes and severely disrupted agricultural industries across the region. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has killed or incapacitated a large part of the agricultural and food-processing work forces in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, and South Africa. And heavy rains and floods have...