CERF allocated $14 million to humanitarian agencies to fight food insecurity in Niger
Food production deficits occur cyclically in Niger. Natural disasters are common and are a contributing factor to the vulnerability and food insecurity of households. Many Nigerian families are living on the brink of severe food insecurity and a relatively minor shock can result in widespread food shortages. In 2010, the Ministry of Agricultures final crop assessment results indicate a cereal deficit of more than 400,000 tons.
A June 2009 UNICEF/WFP/Government Nutrition Survey found that global acute malnutrition (GAM) had reached 12.3 percent nationally. Less than half of the population (41 percent) have access to essential health services, one in five children dies before reaching 5 years of age, 40 percent of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition even in "normal" years. In Diffa and Zinder, malnutrition rates are in excess of WHO established emergency thresholds with respective GAM at 17.4 percent and 15.4 percent. It is likely that acute malnutrition will further deteriorate in other parts of the country.
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