FAO urges more funding for Sudan as El Niño threatens food security in the region

The Food and Agriculture Organization has called for greater emphasis on agriculture and emergency food production in Sudan as the country faces severe food insecurity, while urging increased funding to mitigate the anticipated impact of El Niño across the Horn of Africa.

Rein Paulsen, director of the FAO Office of Emergencies and Resilience, said that funding for humanitarian and agricultural programs in Sudan remains far below what is required, limiting efforts to address immediate needs and longer-term food security.

"The needs significantly outstrip the funding that's available," Paulsen said in an interview with China Daily in Nairobi after visiting Sudan last week.

FAO is focusing its response to acute food insecurity in Sudan on three major areas: staple crop production, livestock health, and animal feed.

Paulsen said a FAO program costing about $17 million last year generated more than $500 million worth of sorghum and accounted for about 22 percent of Sudan's national sorghum production.

"This is now the big priority for us this year," he said. "The second big component relates to livestock. Livestock is a very substantial part of the Sudanese economy. It represents a substantial portion of the agricultural sector."

FAO has launched a nationwide livestock vaccination campaign and is providing animal feed concentrates and mineral supplements to help animals maintain their health and body condition.

Beyond emergency assistance, Paulsen called for investment in rebuilding Sudan's agricultural sector, including rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure to reduce farmers' dependence on increasingly unreliable rainfall.

Meanwhile, as the Horn of Africa braces for anticipated El Niño rains, Paulsen described the weather phenomenon as a "food security risk multiplier", noting that it is occurring in countries already grappling with conflict, displacement, and high levels of food insecurity.

In Sudan, FAO expects rainfall to be significantly below normal, potentially by 30 to 40 percent, while rainfall could also arrive at times that are unsuitable for planting.

In Somalia, however, the concern is excessive rainfall and flooding, particularly in the major Jubba and Shabelle river basins. Such conditions could further threaten vulnerable populations, including displaced people.

Paulsen said FAO, together with the World Food Programme, has developed a joint El Niño anticipatory action plan covering 22 countries. The challenge, he said, is ensuring funding is released early enough to implement measures before a crisis escalates.

"It's always more expensive to respond to a crisis rather than mitigate the impact in advance through anticipatory action," he said.

He called for stronger early-warning and monitoring systems, pre-agreed response plans, and clear triggers for releasing financing when thresholds are reached.

Paulsen said longer-term resilience would require changes in farming systems, including wider use of drought-resistant seed varieties suited to specific agroecological zones, expanded irrigation, and stronger livestock health and feeding systems.

He cautioned against viewing El Niño as a single type of threat, noting that it can bring drought in some areas and flooding in others.

More importantly, he said, its effects should be considered alongside other pressures facing vulnerable communities.

"It's happening at the same time as conflicts are taking place in some areas," he said. "It’s happening in areas of displacement. It's happening in contexts where food prices are going up, where fuel prices are going up."

Looking beyond the current weather event, Paulsen said Africa needs to transform its agri-food systems to withstand shocks caused by climate change and other crises.

He emphasized the need to make food production systems more resilient to weather and other disruptions.

Paulsen said FAO's global El Niño Anticipatory Action Plan is currently funded at less than 30 percent, while the funding gap in Sudan is particularly acute.

FAO requires $193 million this year for its countrywide program in Sudan, but has received only $44 million, leaving the program 24 percent funded.

"We have the technical capabilities, the plans are developed, the partnerships are in place, and what's constraining us is funding," he said.

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn