Covid-19 could kill more people through hunger than the virus itself, warns Oxfam

More people will die of hunger caused by the pandemic than of coronavirus this year, according to a report from Oxfam.

An estimated 122 million of the world’s poorest people could be plunged deeper into hunger and poverty, equating to 12,000 extra deaths a day, the charity said. The global mortality rate for Covid-19 reached a peak at 10,000 deaths per day in April.

It comes as the after effects of the pandemic and lockdowns have led to mass unemployment, plummeting incomes, disruption to food production and declining humanitarian aid.

Last year, 821 million people suffered from food insecurity of which 149 million faced crisis level hunger or worse. But now the dramatic slowdown of the economy and severe restrictions on movement has led to mass unemployment.

The report revealed the world’s 10 worst hunger ‘hotspots’, including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and South Sudan. Middle-income countries such as India, South Africa and Brazil are also experiencing rapidly rising levels of hunger with millions being tipped over the edge.

Sana, a single mother of four children and owner of a hair salon in Yemen, told the charity: “I barely get a customer to visit my salon since the past few months, I am falling short to pay expenses and rent for over two months, and buying food on credit. I don’t know what to do.”

Yemen, which has been ravaged by five years of war, is experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world with two-thirds of the population going hungry and over two million children suffering from moderate or severe malnutrition.

In Afghanistan, border closures hit food supplies and the economic downturn in neighbouring Iran led to a decline in remittance, the money that migrant workers send home to their families. It has pushed an extra million people to the brink of famine, now standing at 3.5 million, compared to 2.5 million in September 2019.

By June 2020, 93 per cent of households were in immediate need of emergency assistance, and 70 per cent of households reported decreased incomes and interrupted remittance flows, the charity said.

Four decades of conflict have forced over four million people to flee their homes and destroyed livelihoods.

Food producers have been pushed to the brink, too, following travel restrictions and illness amongst employees meaning farmers have been unable to plant or harvest crops.

Kadidia Diallo, a milk producer in Burkina Faso, said: “Giving my children something to eat in the morning has become difficult. We are totally dependent on the sale of milk, and with the closure of the market we can’t sell the milk anymore. If we don’t sell milk, we don't eat.”

Humanitarian assistance has dwindled and aid agencies have had to scale back or suspend work. To date, only 24 per cent of the Covid-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan has been funded, and only nine per cent of the money required to tackle food insecurity has been pledged.

The world’s wealthiest countries do not have immunity either. In the UK, during the first few weeks of lockdown 7.7 million adults reduced their meal sizes or missed meals, and up to 3.7 million adults sought food from charities or food banks.

The report also found that almost eight million Britons had reduced portion sizes or missed meals during the first few weeks of lockdown, and the charity called on the government to act.

Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of Oxfam GB, said that the knock-on impacts of the virus are “far more widespread than the virus itself”.

And yet, those on top are continuing to make a profit, according to Oxfam. Eight of the largest food and beverage companies in the world have paid out over $18bn (£14bn) to their shareholders since the start of 2020 – 10 times more than was requested in the UN Covid-19 appeal to stop the most vulnerable people going hungry.

Mr Sriskandarajah said: "It is a sad indictment of our broken food system that millions of people face starvation, while eight of the largest food and drinks companies paid £14 billion to their shareholders as the pandemic spread across the globe."

Oxfam called for governments to take urgent action to end this hunger crisis by fully funding the UN’s humanitarian appeal, building fairer and more resilient food systems, promoting women’s participation in fixing the broken food system, and taking urgent action to tackle the climate crisis.

Mr Sriskandarajah said: “Governments can save lives now by funding the UN Covid-19 appeal and supporting the call for a global ceasefire to end conflict in order to tackle the pandemic.

“The UK could make a real difference by championing debt cancellation at the G20 finance ministers meeting next week to pay for social protection measures such as cash grants to help people survive.

“For many people Covid-19 comes as a crisis on top of a crisis. To break the cycle of hunger, governments must build fairer and more sustainable food systems that ensure small-scale producers and workers earn a living wage.”

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