Food security in Chad

[1] While international aid into the country has brought some relief, the situation in Chad remains severe due to broader famine in the Sahel region.

The World Food Programme has declared a state of emergency in the region since early 2018, stating that, “...adding to the poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition which already affects [the nations of the Sahel] to varying degrees, drought, failed harvests and the high prices of staple foods have hastened the arrival of this year’s ‘lean season’ – the worst since 2014.”[4] Malnutrition is high, especially among women and children, with a significant majority of all children in Chad suffering from some form of stunted growth or adverse health effects as a result.

[4] The lack of arable land often means that Chadian citizens see great difficulties in growing enough food for themselves or for sale, resulting in an agricultural market mainly geared towards non-edible crops such as cotton.

This agricultural instability continues to hamper efforts to alleviate food insecurity, as well as feed into the widespread poverty in the country.

[3] Farmers are also placed in considerable economic difficulty by these disasters, often becoming reliant on foreign aid supplies of seeds and grain to remain in the market.

[7] As much of the country does not have a governmental presence, tribal militias often interfere with international aid groups attempting to deliver food supplies.

[7] According to the Global Hunger Index, Chad is currently ranked 118th out of 119 qualifying countries, surpassed only by its southern neighbor, the Central African Republic.

Operations include the Emergency Food and Livestock Crisis Response and Climate Resilient Agriculture and Productivity Enhancement Project.

The World Food Programme also provides nutritional assistance to 370,000 refugees from the Central African Republic and Sudan who have taken up residence in 19 camps within Chad.

In Chad, they helped 274,160 people in 2017 to reach nutritional and medical assistance, as well as improved access to clean water and sanitation programs.