The effects of war are horrible and in South Sudan, the conflict has reared its ugly head.
Food gap in the war-torn central African country of South Sudan. This has made it difficult for ordinary civilians to put enough food on the table. This is according to a joint report by the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission, Food Agriculture Organization, and the World Food Programme. To further understand these turn of events, cereal prices in the country have shot up since last year.
"South Sudan is facing a deadly blend of conflict, economic hardship, and poor rains. Together, they are worsening a hunger gap that we fear will force more people to go hungry and increase malnutrition," said WFP Country Director Joyce Luma in a report. "This report makes it clear that improving the food situation requires a peaceful resolution to the conflict."
The food crisis in South Sudan is affecting nearly 5.8 million people, which is nearly 50% of the country's entire population. These people are not sure where their next few meals will come from, given that the rate of the drop in food security has doubled, from six percent to 12 this year.
The rise in cereal prices
The steady inflation rate can be credited to several factors. These include poor rains in the Bahr el-Ghazal and Equatoria regions, causing farmers to yield smaller harvests. Furthermore, the country's civil war as disrupted cropping activities, adding to the problem.
Additionally, the war has caused a sharp devaluation of the country's currency and transportation costs have sharply risen as well.
"Despite huge potential for agricultural production - more than 90 percent of South Sudan's land is arable - just 4.5 percent of the available land was under cultivation when the country gained independence in 2011. Now, after over two years of civil war, this percentage has significantly decreased due to widespread insecurity, damage to agricultural assets and limitations in traditional farming methods," said Serge Tissot, an FAO representative in South Sudan. "Yet crop production is possible in the stable areas within conflict-affected states and is more important than ever. Communities cannot rely on markets or aid deliveries for food, and, therefore, need to produce on their own."
Ending the war would bridge the food gap, but the joint report has made several recommendations to do so. These include improving the security within the country and increased access of world organizations like the WFP and FAO.
