Two United Nations (UN) food agencies have warned that millions of people around the world are at risk of starvation, with funding shortages worsening the situation.
According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP), war and violence are the main causes of severe food shortages in many high-risk countries.
Among the most affected countries are Palestine, Mali, Haiti, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen, which face the risk of mass famine in the near future.
Other countries at risk include Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Syria, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Chad and the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Due to a lack of data, the WFP has been forced to reduce aid to refugees and displaced people, and to stop school feeding programs in several countries.
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain stated that the world is now facing a major famine that is actually preventable.
He also stressed that failure to act quickly would only lead to more instability, displacement and conflict.
The report also said that humanitarian aid remains underfunded, with only $10.5 billion (RM43.3 billion) received out of the $29 billion (RM119.5 billion) needed to help countries at risk.
The FAO warned that protecting the affected agricultural sector was crucial to stabilizing food supplies and avoiding a repeat of the famine crisis.
