FAO: Yemen's Food Security Remains Critical, Over 18 Million Face Acute Hunger

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has stressed that the state of food security across Yemen remains extremely critical, particularly in areas controlled by Houthi militias in the north.

According to the organization's latest analytical Market and Trade Bulletin, concerning short-term outlooks and their implications for food security, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis projects that over 18 million people—approximately half of Yemen's population—will continue to suffer from acute food insecurity (Phase 3 or higher), with significant risk of this figure remaining static or increasing amid mounting pressures.

The FAO noted that areas under the control of the internationally recognized Yemeni government have experienced temporary improvements, largely attributed to recent measures by the Central Bank of Yemen that strengthened the Yemeni Rial and eased food prices. However, the organization cautioned that these positive developments remain fragile and susceptible to reversal.

Conditions in Houthi-controlled regions present a more alarming picture. Communities there are grappling with reduced rainfall, frost waves, and local conflicts, compounded by declining import volumes, lower wages, and a rapid erosion of purchasing power. Furthermore, agricultural production forecasts range from average to below-average, complicated by the persistent absence of resumed humanitarian food aid and broader sectoral support.

The UN agency highlighted that these food insecurity risks are exacerbated by regional instability, rising global food prices, declining household incomes, and the imposition of local restrictions on food access, collectively limiting the capacity of millions of Yemeni families to secure their basic necessities.