Paradoxically, while agriculture appears to be a buffer sector during the COVID-19 crisis in several Sub-Saharan African countries with agricultural production (Amankwah et al., 2021; Zeufack et al., 2021), food insecurity in Africa seems to be increasing (Food and Agriculture Organization et al., 2021).

Levelling the playing field for women working in the food and agriculture sectors can bring growth and help feed millions, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in this report

This decade has been marked by multiple, often overlapping, crises. The COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and the ongoing war in Ukraine have all threatened the fabric of our global food systems. But opportunities can be found amid crises, and the world’s food systems have demonstrated surprising resilience.

Economies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are expected to grow at a slower pace in 2023, as double-digit food inflation adds pressure on poorer households and the impact of food insecurity can span generations, according to the World Bank’s latest economic update.

Global and national policy discourse and agendas are moving beyond traditional silos of agriculture, nutrition, health, and climate change to address the challenges facing agrifood systems (AFS).

The Union Budget 2023-24 was presented against the backdrop of some critical geopolitical developments and was the last full budget before the next general elections. Signicantly, 2023 is also the year in which India became the most populated country in the planet and assumed G20 presidency.

In the face of conflict, numerous economic shocks, and extreme weather events fanned by the changing climate, the world’s efforts to tackle food insecurity continue to fall short of what is required.

Hunger and malnutrition have reached critical levels in the Arab region as access to basic foods has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, according to this United Nations report.

This is the fifth edition of the Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition annual report.