Food insecurity in Sri Lanka likely to worsen, warn FAO and WFP in new joint report

• Says estimated 6.3mn people are facing moderate to severe acute food insecurity
• Impacts likely to be seen during October 2022 to February 2023 lean season
• Stresses on the need for adequate life-saving assistance and livelihood support

Sri Lanka could find itself in a heightened crisis situation with further worsening of food insecurity if necessary support is not rolled out in a timely manner, the United Nations (UN) cautioned.

 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) issuing a joint statement yesterday said an estimated 6.3 million people in Sri Lanka are facing moderate to severe acute food insecurity and their situation is expected to worsen if adequate life-saving assistance and livelihood support is not provided.

 Two consecutive seasons of poor harvests led to a nearly 50 percent drop in production coupled with reduced imports of food grains due to foreign exchange constraints, the two agencies pointed out. 

 The latest FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSASM) report stressed that without assistance, the food security situation is expected to deteriorate further and the impacts will likely be seen during the October 2022 to February 2023 lean season, which will be driven by poor harvests of staple foods, in particular paddy rice, and the ongoing economic crisis. 

 To avert a further deterioration of food security conditions and to support the restoration of agricultural production, livelihood assistance targeting smallholder farmers should remain a priority, said FAO Representative in Sri Lanka, Vimlendra Sharan.

 “With around 30 percent of the population depending on agriculture, improving the production capacity of farmers will ultimately boost the resilience of the agricultural sector, reduce import requirements amid shortages of foreign currency reserves and avert the rise in hunger,” said Sharan.

 Months into the crippling economic crisis, families are running out of options and are exhausted. More than 60 percent of families are eating less, and eating cheaper, less nutritious food.

 “This comes at a time when financial constraints have forced the government to scale back on nutrition programmes, such as school meals and fortified food for mothers and undernourished children. WFP’s top priority is to provide immediate food and nutrition assistance to the most at-risk communities to prevent further deterioration of their nutrition,” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Sri Lanka, Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, reflecting similar sentiments.

  The joint FAO/WFP Mission suggested the need for immediate provision of food or cash-based assistance to vulnerable and marginalized communities, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, women-headed households, and persons with disabilities, to help them meet their immediate food and nutrition needs.  While the report recommends the immediate provision of agricultural inputs, including fertilizers, focusing on smallholder farmers, it outlines the need to support households establish home gardens and backyard gardening to enhance their nutritional status. The agencies urged the authorities to provide adequate amounts of fuel to ensure effective planting, harvesting, transportation, and processing of food crops.  Further, the need to provide high-nutrient animal feed, vaccines, and veterinary health kits at subsidized prices to livestock owners, especially dairy and poultry was also highlighted to mitigate the impacts of the feed shortages.  Support for the resumption and continuation of national nutrition programmes such as school meals, which faced disruptions due to funding constraints, were also highlighted as a priority.