Hunger frequently a result of conflicts

Great progress has been made by the international community in the fight against hunger, yet where it occurs, it is mainly due to armed conflicts. Whether in Syria, South Sudan or Yemen, in Sierra Leone or Afghanistan, hunger and violent conflicts are always closely linked and often lead to major flows of refugees. How these factors influence each other exactly, and what options there are for achieving an impact, was the topic of an expert discussion at a joint KfW Development Bank and German NGO, Welthungerhilfe, event on 12 October at KfW's Berlin office.

In his introductory remarks, KfW Director Marc Engelhardt, referred to the 60 million people currently fleeing their homes to escape violence and starvation, and some of whom are also seeking protection here in Germany. "In this way we can feel the direct impact of armed conflicts here too," said Engelhardt. At the same time, he emphasised the "silent crises" that are further away from the international limelight than Syria for example, but are just as affected by hunger and crises. In the Horn of Africa and the neighbouring countries, there are two million refugees and seven million internally displaced persons. "We thus shouldn't forget that the countries with the world's most severe poverty and the worst food supply situation are also bearing the brunt of the refugee flows."

"We warned about this"

The President of the Welthungerhilfe, Bärbel Dieckmann, also highlighted the close link between hunger and conflicts. "They're the main driving factors of hunger," because it is hard to escape famine situations as long as there are conflicts and crises. Conflicts prevent farming from taking place and foodstuffs from being brought to the markets. That people in such dire situations have chosen to escape can now be experienced in Europe. "We've warned about this for years," says Dieckmann. In countries such as Syria or Afghanistan, politicians are therefore called upon to take action. Non-governmental organisations such as hers cannot solve the problems; they can only alleviate the worst of the suffering by providing humanitarian help. "We can banish the worst hunger by 2030, as set out in the SDGs. That's possible. But political and financial efforts are required, precisely because hunger and conflicts are so closely linked."

Again, using the example of Syria, Cyrill Ferrand from the Food and Agricultural organisation (FAO) showed how violent conflicts can cause food insecurity: before the start of the conflict, Syria was the foodbasket of the region. Since then, the production of wheat has almost halved. In the meantime, around nine million people in and around Syria are suffering from an uncertain supply of food.

Relapses likely

At the same time, countries that have overcome severe conflicts, run into great danger of relapsing and again suffering from acute hunger. The Oxford University academic, Anke Höffler, who researches the causes of conflict, also pointed out this link. Using different calculations, she also showed that "poverty is not the same as hunger". In countries such as Malawi or Kyrgyzstan for example, there is less hunger than one would suppose by considering the countries' income. The degree of poverty of a country is thus not the decisive factor, even though it is an important one. Unrest, chaos and violence are the primary causes of hunger and crisis.

This opinion was also shared by David Schwake, head of the department for early warning and scenario planning at the German Federal Foreign Office. He supported this argument by mentioning countries such as Rwanda or Ethiopia where the situation has improved significantly over the last ten years, precisely because no new conflicts have arisen there. It's a completely different picture in South Sudan, where currently around half of the people are dependent on food aid, and hunger is even employed as a weapon by enemy groups.

The reverse direction is less obvious

Conversely ‒ can hunger cause conflict? Viewed in this direction ‒ the link is much less obvious. The panelists agreed on this: hunger is certainly an accelerating factor, but conflicts mainly have a variety of social and economic causes, of which food insecurity is just one. HIV/Aids, high population growth, general inequality and poor governance also speed up and exacerbate crisis situations.

To break the cycle of conflicts and hunger, the international community should not, even in precarious situations, limit itself to emergency aid. More importantly and as far as possible, it should also promote agriculture, was the unanimous opinion of the experts. "People can be productive, even in times of war," explained Cyril Ferrand, "but often they lack seeds or veterinary services." This needs to provide a remedy, also with external help.

The participants also called for more support for post-conflict situations, not just for a rapid end to the conflicts themselves. The extent to which countries organise themselves, whether they follow the rules of good governance and ensure reconciliation between previous enemy groupings, has a direct effect on whether hunger can be pushed back on a lasting basis. This year's world hunger index confirmed a slight decline in the 795 million people worldwide who are suffering from hunger. "This provides some encouragement," said Marc Engelhardt, summarising the results, "but it also shows that there is a long way to go before we live in a world without hunger. And that must be our goal."

Global Hunger Index 2015