FAO says its Sudan and Yemen emergency farm plans are badly underfunded as crises deepen

7 October 2026

The Food and Agriculture Organization called for urgent investment to protect food production as crises deepen across the Near East and North Africa.
In Sudan 19.5 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity, yet only 23 per cent of the 193 million dollars required under the 2026-2028 Emergency Response Plan has been funded.
In Syria about 7.2 million people were facing acute food insecurity in late 2025; FAO requires 171.5 million dollars in 2027 to assist 5.2 million people.
In Yemen 18.3 million people faced Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity in the latest analysis, and FAO has secured less than 1 per cent of the 87.9 million dollars required under its 2027 Emergency and Resilience Plan.
FAO said more than 22 per cent of Lebanon's agricultural land has been damaged and about 50 per cent of agricultural land in the South and Nabatieh is inaccessible.
More than one million people were displaced in Lebanon following the escalation of March 2026, mainly from rural areas.
FAO says it reached almost five million people in Sudan in 2026 with seeds, livestock vaccination, animal feed and input vouchers.