News – Yemen: The Italian newspaper, East West, said that the situation in Yemen is dangerous and the deterioration has continued since the start of the war on Yemen in 2015, by the coalition to restore (Hadi) to power after he fled to Riyadh.

The report indicated that about 70% of the population of Yemen lives in the countryside, a situation that is generally a boon for food supplies in times of war, where the rural population enjoys more easy access to food than the urban population; Because they are able to produce it, with minimal resources.

However, the report made it clear that the war on Yemen has reduced the resources of the countryside due to the conditions it caused, such as the lack of fertilizers, pesticides and, above all, fuel, following the continued blockade imposed on oil ships by the "coalition."

The report pointed out the importance of fuel in the agricultural aspect, and that it is not only important for operating tractors; but to run irrigation pumps, which is necessary to ensure water supplies for crops and animals, in a country suffering from drought and global warming.

The report continued that drought and locusts are among the problems that have affected agriculture and have become a devastating phenomenon, as we can see swarms of more than 150 million insects per square kilometer capable of destroying the food resources useful for 35,000 people in one day, which hit Yemen and other countries hard last year. 

In an attempt to deal with this situation, the organization's program is currently being implemented and is moving on two main fronts. The first is the provision of solar-powered irrigation pumps - to avoid the problem of finding fuel - which has been severely hampered by the war and the partial or total closure of ports. The second is a regional action plan to counter the locust invasion, which, since January last year, has led to the treatment of more than two million hectares between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, and the provision of about 4 million tons of grain and 800 million liters of milk, enough for 34 million people for one year.

The report warned that the continuation of the war would compound the widespread famine in the country. According to the latest estimates of the Food and Agriculture Organization, if conditions remain as they are now, the people at risk of starvation will reach or exceed 16 million, that is, more than half of the country's population. To address this situation, the FAO Emergency Program needs $90 million for 2021, to meet the needs of at least 6.8 million Yemenis.

Japan has already responded to the appeal, with more than $2 million, and Germany, allocating €40 million, however, it will also have to be divided for emergencies in other countries such as Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.