7 January 2015 - South Sudan had registered improved food security levels over the past few months, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) officials said in Juba today.

“Compared to what we had in May last year, the food security in the country has somewhat improved,” FAO Food Security Analyst Evans Kenyi said in an interview with Radio Miraya.

“We had … more than 4.5 million people in emergency and in crisis (levels), but as we talk now, we have 2.5 million people in emergency and in crisis (levels),” he added.

Mr. Kenyi attributed the change to efforts made by UN agencies and other non-government organizations involved in providing food and humanitarian assistance to affected communities.

He said the rains had been good, although there had been much fighting in some areas of the country, especially in the Greater Upper Nile region.

“Even a few people in those areas of Upper Nile that cultivated were able to get a little food from their production,” said Mr. Kenyi.

He said there was still concern over Duk, Ayod, Canal and Fangak counties in Jonglei State, as well as Rubkona and Mayom counties in Unity State. However, marked improvement had occurred in some areas in Greater Equatoria and Great Bahr El-Ghazal regions.

Mr. Kenyi said the counties had remained in an emergency situation because of limited humanitarian access owing to ongoing conflict in these areas.

“This situation can only improve when the warring parties adhere to the agreements such that access is not denied to humanitarian actors,” he said.

FAO Country Head of Office Sue Lautze said it was still a big emergency to have 2.5 million people still in serious food insecurity. “If the fighting continues, that will only get to become even a bigger problem.”

Noting that humanitarian agencies could only provide a portion of the population’s food needs, Ms. Lautze stressed that the need for peace so that South Sudanese could grow their own food or access markets.

“We need peace (for) people to be able to stay home long enough and have confidence in order to plant the crops,” she said. “… If they don’t, then we are looking at much more malnutrition, much more disease related to the malnutrition and outright hunger and poverty for far too many South Sudanese.”