Ongoing civil conflicts and climate-related shocks are undermining progress towards reducing hunger, according to the new edition of the FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation report. Hurricanes in the Caribbean and floods in West Africa could hamper local agricultural production, but overall food production trends are positive, encouraged by expectations of record grain production in several countries. According to the quarterly report, some 37 countries, including 28 in Africa, require external food assistance. The countries are the same as in June: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Iraq, Kenya , Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zimbabwe. Conflicts continue to have a major impact on agriculture and food security in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Northern Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen and often have negative effects as well. elsewhere due to the large number of displaced persons and the increase in civil insecurity. Atmospheric shocks in 2017, including drought, exacerbated their impact in some countries, notably Somalia and southern Ethiopia. In 2017, world cereal production is expected to reach a record level of 2.611 million tons. While this is due to higher earnings in Argentina and Brazil, the projected increase this year of more than 10% of aggregate production in Africa should also be noted, due to higher corn crops in southern Africa - where last year farmers had been hit hard by El Niño - and by grain production in North African countries. According to new FAO estimates, aggregate cereal production in low-income food-deficit countries is also expected to increase by 2,2% this year, limiting import needs.
