Hunger crisis looms for Afghan winter

The World Food Programme (WFP) is facing a 40 percent funding shortfall for its 2010 Afghanistan relief program. The Pakistan emergency has also impacted operations in Afghanistan.  Some wheat in transit from Pakistan was lost in the flooding.  Other wheat was sent to emergency zones to provide aid to Pakistanis.  In all, around 22,000 metric tons Afghanistan was counting on is not there.

Food supplies need to be built up again in Afghanistan--and quickly. This is the time of the year when food stocks have to be in supply for the coming winter.

WFP also needs supplementary plumpy, a special ready-to-eat food designed to treat malnutrition in small children. The future of Afghanistan depends on it. Challiss McDonough of WFP says, "Unless we receive significant financial support soon, a shortage of funds will affect our supply of ready-to-use supplementary food early next year, along with many other commodities.  WFP's nutritional support for pregnant women, new mothers and children under 5 is a lifesaving intervention in a country with some of the highest rates of child malnutrition and maternal mortality in the world."

There have been some positive developments, including the establishment of a grain reserve by the government. WFP will assist with maintaining this reserve which can help relieve Afghanistan from any future shocks in the coming years. But for now, there is the immediate crisis.

This week Afghanistan was listed as one of the 22 most hunger-prone countries in the world. This is a stubborn fact that cannot be ignored. No strategy for Afghanistan will succeed without taking on the hunger and malnutrition crisis.