A new report from IFPRI, WFP, and Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) finds that in 2011, food insecurity affected an estimated 17 percent of the population, or 13.7 million people. This number is up from 2009, when 14 percent of the population suffered from food insecurity. Poverty has also risen during this time, with 15 percent of the population moving into poverty between 2009 and 2011.
So what is causing the deterioration of both food security and economic well-being in Egypt? The report finds that the decline has been gradual, exacerbated by the country's recent political and social upheaval as well as global food, fuel, and financial crises. Urban populations are being particularly hard hit - poverty and food insecurity have increased by nearly 40 percent in urban areas since 2009.
The Egyptian government has taken successful steps to protect its population from the impact of higher food prices through the use of food subsidies. The report stresses, however, that these subsidies will not resolve the situation by themselves. Reform of the food subsidy system to more fully target the most vulnerable populations, as well as the creation of employment initiatives, would result in a triple boon for the country, says IFPRI Research Fellow Clemens Breisinger: "fiscal savings, reaching the most vulnerable, and improved nutrition."
The report was launched on May 21 at an IFPRI seminar. Read the press release and view more media materials from the event.