The food insecurity in Sri Lanka is forcing some families to borrow food, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said.
WFP said that the food security situation in Sri Lanka remains unstable.
More than one-third of the population is now facing acute food insecurity, according to WFP’s August remote household food security surveys – which is a concerning increase compared with June.
Sri Lanka continues to grapple with its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. As record high prices persist, food security remains precarious.
More than one-third of the population (37 percent) is now facing acute food insecurity, according to WFP’s remote household food security surveys for August. This represents an increase against the results of the face-to-face Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission for June.
Around eight in ten households are regularly turning to food-based coping strategies such as sacrificing meals, borrowing food, and reducing the number of meals eaten. July saw a particularly steep spike in reliance on coping strategies (19 percentage points), which persisted into August.
The crisis is causing disproportionate impacts across different segments of society. This was seen across a range of divides – female-headed households are faring worse than male-headed households, while those in estate and urban areas are also faring worse than those in rural areas. Similar disparities can be found across education levels and income sources.
WFP reached almost 10,000 people with cash assistance in the latest week (12 to 16 September).
The WFP has reached more than 60,000 people so far with cash and voucher assistance since beginning its emergency response to the current crisis. (Colombo Gazette)
Post a Comment