Latest News About 2022–2023 Food Crises

Here’s a concise briefing on the latest developments around the 2022–2023 food crises based on reputable sources up to 2023–2024, with note of ongoing trends into 2025–2026 where relevant.

Key takeaways

• The scale of acute food insecurity remained historically high through 2023, with nearly 238 million people in 48 countries facing high levels of acute food insecurity by mid-2023, driven largely by conflict, economic shocks, and climate-related hazards [GFRC mid-year 2023 update; EU Joint Research Centre summary]. This underscores that the crisis persisted well after 2022 and into 2023, not a short-term spike [GFRC mid-year 2023 update][JRC news].
• East Africa continued to be the hardest-hit region due to protracted conflicts (notably Sudan) and displacement, contributing the largest regional share of people in high-alert food insecurity [GFRC mid-year 2023 update; EU references]. This regional pressure influenced neighboring markets and humanitarian responses [GFRC mid-year 2023 update].
• Some countries did experience improvements between 2022 and August 2023 (examples cited include Sri Lanka and Niger), reflecting that humanitarian efforts, policy changes, and favorable harvests can produce gains, though these gains were not uniform across regions or countries [GFRC mid-year 2023 update].
• The drivers of hunger remained dominated by conflict and insecurity, with economic shocks and climate variability as compounding factors. The closure or modification of major grain pathways (e.g., disruptions to Black Sea grain flows) added volatility to global prices and food access in many markets; political events (like coups) in the region were anticipated to alter country-level trajectories [GFRC reports; FAO/WFP communications].

Notable sources and what they cover

• Global Report on Food Crises (GFRC) and its mid-year update for 2023: provide country-by-country and regional analysis, including the number of people in acute food insecurity, top conducting drivers, and worst-affected areas. These reports are foundational for understanding the 2022–2023 crisis and its persistence into 2023 [GFRC 2023 mid-year update; FAO/WFP summaries].
• Regional analyses (especially East Africa) consistently identify conflict-driven displacement and supply chain disruptions as primary factors sustaining high hunger levels, with Sudan’s conflict cited as a major driver for the region [GFRC 2023 mid-year update; EU/EC briefings].
• Country snapshots show that improvements were possible where humanitarian responses, harvests, or policy interventions succeeded (Sri Lanka, Niger highlighted in some updates), though not universally across all crisis-affected countries [GFRC 2023 mid-year update; related EU/Civil Protection reporting].

What this means for current context (2024–2026)

• The global food crisis remains a persistent humanitarian and policy challenge, with conflict zones, economic shocks, and climate hazards continuing to influence hunger levels. The underlying drivers and regional hotspots (notably East Africa and the Sahel) required sustained humanitarian access, resilience-building, and market stabilization measures [GFRC 2023 updates; FAO/WFP communications].
• Policy and market responses—such as grain-export corridor arrangements, fertilizer accessibility, humanitarian assistance, and social protection programs—have tangible but uneven impacts, underscoring the need for robust monitoring and adaptive programming as conditions shift with geopolitics and climate events [GFRC reports; EU/JRC analyses].

Would you like a focused briefing on:

• a) country-by-country overview for a specific region (e.g., East Africa, Sahel, or the Horn of Africa),
• b) the main drivers and how they evolved during 2022–2023,
• c) a graphical summary (e.g., a chart of people in IPC Phases 3–5 over time) with sources? I can prepare a concise profile or a small data visualization if you specify the region or countries of interest.

Citations:

• Global overview and mid-year findings on the number of people facing high acute food insecurity in 2023 [GFRC mid-year update; EU/JRC summary].
• Regional emphasis on East Africa as the hardest-hit area and Sudan-related displacement [GFRC mid-year update; EU briefings].
• Notable country-level improvements (Sri Lanka, Niger) between 2022 and Aug 2023 [GFRC mid-year update].