A dearth of funding coupled with a surge in inflation is forcing hunger-relief programs across the globe to cut back on services just as the world’s poorest need it most, creating a situation that will erode human welfare and possibly plant the seeds of political instability.
Stresses on international food aid are happening both at the government level and for organizations including the World Food Programme, the group that just two year ago won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its hunger-fighting efforts. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further strained the global food market, which was already reeling from the pandemic and climate change. Wheat futures, for example, have surged more than 50% this year, making the grain less affordable for use in staples like bread.
Children in parts of Kyrgyzstan now only get subsidized meals during school two or three days a week, instead of five. In Somalia, the World Food Programme halved the numbers of schools covered by its meal program. In Syria, the aid group recently cut the daily rations it supplies by a third, down to 1,000 calories a day.
