Food Crisis in the Middle East and Eurasia
The global food crisis is affecting children and families in countries across the Middle East and Eurasia. Families already struggling to cover household expenses are finding that the high cost of food and other basic commodities is putting them in further economic distress. In several countries where access to food is low, children across the region may be vulnerable to malnutrition and hunger. Read more about how the food crisis is affecting children in Tajikistan and Egypt.
Rising global food prices are compounding hardships for children in Tajikistan, where a variety of economic and environmental factors have eroded family finances and parents' ability to ensure the health and well-being of their children.
Families — forced to deal with an ongoing energy crisis, increasing inflation and spiking food costs — have seen their purchasing power diminish and are finding it very difficult to make ends meet. This is particularly true for rural households and those headed by women and the elderly. A scarcity of cash at the household level means that parents have to make difficult choices about whether to seek medical care or to send their children to school.
In addition, a below average crop harvests in 2007 coupled with recent severe winter temperatures, which destroyed large portions of seed and commodity stocks, have led to decreased availability of food now and will lead to lean times in the future. As wheat seed was unavailable in early spring, many households shifted their agricultural production to barley, which is traditionally used as animal fodder, meaning that households will not be able to rely on their production for personal consumption.
Government officials have estimated agricultural losses at approximately $250 million and, across the country, families "have already resorted to extreme coping strategies, from selling and/or slaughtering livestock, cutting fruit and non-fruit trees and forests, borrowing money from lenders with the highest interest rates, and selling their few, but very precious household items."
Save the Children staff reported that in January, 85 percent of households surveyed did not have any money left in their savings, 77 percent sold an animal to buy food, 51 percent described their overall health as "bad" and 97 percent were eating food that was not typical for their family. These numbers are expected to worsen over the coming months.
Save the Children is in constant dialogue with local humanitarian organizations and government institutions, as well as key donors, about the developing food security situation as well as the appropriate responses.
The rising cost of food and other basic goods has led to violence and protests in Egypt. Over the past year, wheat prices have tripled. The cost of oil, fruit, vegetables, and meat has also increased by roughly 25 percent. The level of frustration is high, particularly among the 40 percent of Egyptians living on less than $2 a day. For families who were already struggling to afford basic goods, the increase in the price of food is a huge added burden on their already small budgets.
Disruptions in children's daily lives due to the food crisis are already visible. The recent rise in tensions and violence is a threat to child security and protection. In addition, more children have been forced to drop out of school because their families can no longer afford the cost of books or school fees. Malnutrition rates among children could also increase along with other health risks if families cannot afford the cost of health services. Should conditions continue to worsen, the short and long-term effects on children would be devastating.
The Egyptian government has a subsidy program in place, but there is question if the program will be able to keep up with growing demand. The government purchased $2.6 billion of wheat this year to sell at a reduced price. As a result of the high cost of wheat on the open market and expected increase in demand, the prime minister announced that they will expand the subsidized food program in 2008/2009, making Egypt one of the world's largest wheat importers.
In addition to subsidies, the government has reported plans to stop the export of certain goods (e.g., rice) and to reduce tariffs on imported goods. If the budget deficit does not stabilize by July 2008, the public sector plans to increase salaries by more than 15 percent to help strengthen family buying power. However, it is unclear if these efforts will be enough to prevent many families living just above or on the poverty line from falling below it.
