A strengthening El Niño weather pattern threatens to push an additional 49 million people into acute hunger by late 2027, according to warnings from the World Food Programme (WFP).

 

A strengthening El Niño weather pattern threatens to push an additional 49 million people into acute hunger by late 2027, according to warnings from the World Food Programme (WFP).

How El Niño Impacts Food Security

• Weather Extremes: El Niño disrupts normal climate patterns, causing severe droughts in regions like southern Africa, Central America, and parts of South and Southeast Asia, alongside heavy floods elsewhere.
• Crop and Livestock Damage: Water shortages and extreme heat destroy harvests and kill livestock, cutting local food supplies directly at the farm level.
• Market Disruption: Lower agricultural output drives up food prices and reduces affordability, worsening hunger in import-dependent and low-income countries.

Compounding Pressures

• Input Costs: Ongoing energy and shipping disruptions linked to conflicts in the Middle East have spiked the costs of fuel and nitrogen fertilizers.
• Reduced Yields: When farmers cannot afford or access sufficient fertilizer and fuel, overall planting and crop yields drop further, prolonging the crisis well into 2027.