28 (MNA) – Food security and nutrition levels in the Near East and North Africa have sharply deteriorated over the last five years, FAO report says. The rise in food insecurity undermines the steady improvement achieved before 2010 when the prevalence of undernourishment, stunting, anemia and poverty were decreasing. The assessment made by FAO using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) shows that the prevalence of severe food insecurity in the adult population of the Near East and North Africa was close to 9.5 percent in 2014-2015, representing approximately 30 million people. "The region is facing unprecedented challenges to its food security due to multiple risks arising from conflicts, water scarcity and climate change. Water scarcity is the binding factor to agricultural production in the Near East and North Africa region and the driver of the region's dependency on food imports.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 28, 2017 08:03 UTC