New study: urgent action to enhance food aid and revitalize agriculture critical to averting looming famine in Sudan

Port Sudan – Pervasive Severe Food Insecurity in Sudan Requires Urgent Interventions

Pervasive severe food insecurity in Sudan necessitates urgent and extensive interventions to enhance food aid, revitalize agricultural systems, and restore supply chains, to mitigate the food crisis and prevent further escalation. Preventing a looming famine also requires an immediate ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and increased support for food, nutrition, health, water, and sanitation interventions, concludes a new report launched today.

Assessing Livelihoods in Sudan amid Armed Conflict

The joint report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) titled “Livelihoods in Sudan amid Armed Conflict” assesses the social and economic impacts of the ongoing armed conflict on rural Sudan. The report is based on analyses of a comprehensive survey of rural households across the country that both organizations conducted from November 2023 to January 2024, including 4,504 households.

“Understanding how the armed conflict in Sudan—now reaching the one-year mark—impacts people’s lives and livelihoods provides an important foundation for targeted interventions and policy reforms to mitigate the adverse impacts of the conflict and foster long-term resilience and economic stability,” said Thair Shraideh, UNDP Resident Representative, a.i., in Sudan. “In a country where two thirds of the population live in rural areas, we prioritized focusing on rural households. We plan to complement the findings of this study with similar surveys focusing on urban households and on micro, small and medium enterprises.”

Impact of the Conflict on Rural Households

The study observes that the conflict has severely disrupted incomes of rural households and exacerbated existing vulnerabilities related to their housing and access to infrastructure and services. Most households live in inadequate housing, with disparities in access to water, electricity, and sanitation services posing additional challenges. Rural households have low access to assets, including agricultural land, which further complicates their livelihoods.

Khalid Siddig, IFPRI Senior Research Fellow and Leader of the Sudan Strategy Support Program said: “Most of the enormous challenges currently facing Sudan existed before the conflict, including household food insecurity, dysfunctional markets, and regional and gender disparities, however, the war has greatly exacerbated these chronic problems.”

Accelerating Food Insecurity Crisis

The study highlights an accelerating food insecurity crisis. 59% of rural households face moderate or severe food insecurity, with the highest prevalence in the states of West Kordofan, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile. The study warns that a famine in Sudan is expected in 2024, particularly in the states of Khartoum, Aj Jazirah, and in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.

Rural households experiencing a decrease in income and those encountering shocks, such as illness, death, or climatic events, are particularly vulnerable to high food insecurity. The situation is most critical for rural households that have completely lost their income.

More than half of the rural households in the sample reported that their farming work was disrupted, with the highest percentage in Khartoum state, exceeding 68%, and in Sennar and West Kordofan states, both at around 63%.

Severe Disruptions in Employment and Livelihoods

The conflict has also led to severe disruptions in employment and livelihoods, resulting in widespread economic instability. A significant proportion of rural households (36.9%) experienced a shift in income-generating activities, with 15% transitioning from employment to no employment. Nationally, income has dropped for 60% of sampled households, with alarming incidences of complete income loss, particularly in conflict-affected areas, with income reductions of over 50%.

Mass migration forced by the conflict, particularly from peri-urban to rural areas, has led to substantial income losses among migrants. Intensity of the conflict served as a significant push factor for migration across the different states of Sudan. For example, a striking 57% of households of rural Khartoum were forced to relocate during the current conflict—the highest among all states.

Recommendations for Mitigating the Effects of the Conflict

Immediate humanitarian and food assistance for households facing severe food insecurity and income loss.
Urgent support to agricultural livelihoods, focusing on providing farmers with access to subsidized inputs, rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure, and training programs on resilient farming practices.
Restoring market functionality is vital for both economic recovery and food security, including reconstructing market infrastructure, establishing secure trade corridors, and supporting local traders and small businesses to resume operations.
Immediate efforts should be directed towards improving access to basic utilities, including safe drinking water, sanitation, and electricity, particularly in conflict-affected regions.
Rapid economic interventions including through immediate cash transfer programs to alleviate financial burdens and enable households to access food and other necessities. Longer-term interventions should focus on offering households alternative livelihood options and on diversifying income sources, active labor market policies, vocational training, and support for non-agricultural micro-enterprises.
Establishing and expanding social protection programs to support the most vulnerable, including women-headed households, households with low education levels, large families, and unemployed and daily-wage workers.

Additional Key Findings

73% of rural households in Sudan live in inadequate housing.
30% of homes of surveyed households are connected to a water network—their own or through a neighbor.
Less than 10% of rural households have flush toilet access, while a similar portion report having no toilet facility at all. Most households reported relying on an unimproved pit latrine with dirt floors for their toilet facility.
32.2% of rural households do not have access to electricity.

Over 71% of rural households do not own agricultural land

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators
SDG 2: Zero Hunger	2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round	– Percentage of rural households facing moderate or severe food insecurity – Prevalence of famine in Sudan in 2024
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all	– Access to health services for rural households affected by the conflict
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation	6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all	– Percentage of rural households with access to safe drinking water – Percentage of rural households with access to sanitation facilities
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth	8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services	– Percentage of rural households experiencing income loss – Percentage of rural households with a shift in income-generating activities
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums	– Percentage of rural households living in inadequate housing – Disparities in access to water, electricity, and sanitation services for rural households
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships	– Coordination of efforts between organizations to mitigate the effects of the conflict on rural communities

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 2: Zero Hunger
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round
Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Percentage of rural households facing moderate or severe food insecurity
Prevalence of famine in Sudan in 2024
Access to health services for rural households affected by the conflict
Percentage of rural households with access to safe drinking water
Percentage of rural households with access to sanitation facilities
Percentage of rural households experiencing income loss
Percentage of rural households with a shift in income-generating activities
Percentage of rural households living in inadequate housing
Disparities in access to water, electricity, and sanitation services for rural households
Coordination of efforts between organizations to mitigate the effects of the conflict on rural communities

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs

Targets

Indicators

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round

– Percentage of rural households facing moderate or severe food insecurity
– Prevalence of famine in Sudan in 2024

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

– Access to health services for rural households affected by the conflict

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Fuente: undp.org

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