SANAA: UN agencies have given a shocking picture of the food crisis in Yemen. According to a joint assessment by three UN agencies, the number of food insecure people in Yemen has increased by 3 million in seven months, with an estimated 17.1 people struggling to put food on their tables.Of the 17.1 million food insecure people, about 7.3 million are considered to be in need of emergency food assistance. The preliminary results of the Emergency Food Security and Nutrition Assessment (EFSNA) show that food security and nutrition conditions are deteriorating rapidly due to the ongoing conflict in the country. Of the 17.1 million food insecure people, about 7.3 million are considered to be in need of emergency food assistance. The preliminary results of the Emergency Food Security and Nutrition Assessment (EFSNA) show that food security and nutrition conditions are deteriorating rapidly due to the ongoing conflict in the country.More than two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 27.4 million people now lacks access to an adequate diet. The EFSNA is a joint survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in cooperation with the authorities in Yemen. It is the first national, household-level assessment conducted in the country since the escalation of the conflict in mid-March 2015. More than two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 27.4 million people now lacks access to an adequate diet. The EFSNA is a joint survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in cooperation with the authorities in Yemen. It is the first national, household-level assessment conducted in the country since the escalation of the conflict in mid-March 2015.Rates of acute malnutrition were found to have passed the “critical” threshold in four governorates, while agricultural production is falling across the country. “The speed at which the situation is deteriorating and the huge jump in food insecure people is extremely worrying,” said Salah Hajj Hassan, FAO Representative in Yemen. “Bearing in mind that agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the majority of the population, FAO is urgently calling for funds to scale up its agricultural support to farmers, herders and fishing communities to improve their access to food in 2017.” Rates of acute malnutrition were found to have passed the “critical” threshold in four governorates, while agricultural production is falling across the country. “The speed at which the situation is deteriorating and the huge jump in food insecure people is extremely worrying,” said Salah Hajj Hassan, FAO Representative in Yemen. “Bearing in mind that agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the majority of the population, FAO is urgently calling for funds to scale up its agricultural support to farmers, herders and fishing communities to improve their access to food in 2017.”UNICEF Yemen Representative Meritxell UNICEF Yemen Representative Meritxell Relano said that these number were the among the highest witnessed in recent times with regards to malnutrition among children. He said, “Children who are severely and acutely malnourished are 11 times more at risk of death as compared to their healthy peers, if not treated on time. Even if they survive, these children risk not fulfilling their developmental potentials, posing a serious threat to an entire generation in Yemen and keeping the country mired in the vicious cycle of poverty and under development.”WFP Country Director in Yemen said that the current level of hunger in the country was unprecedented with more and more families skipping meals. He called upon WFP Country Director in Yemen said that the current level of hunger in the country was unprecedented with more and more families skipping meals. He called upon support to provide assistance to the food insecure people of Yemen who are in a dire situation.An estimated 65 percent of households are now food insecure. In addition, three-quarters of all households indicate that their economic situation is worse now than before the crisis. Incomes have fallen and many public- sector workers have gone for months without being paid. As a result, 80 percent of Yemenis are now in debt, and more than half of all households have had to buy food on credit. An estimated 65 percent of households are now food insecure. In addition, three-quarters of all households indicate that their economic situation is worse now than before the crisis. Incomes have fallen and many public- sector workers have gone for months without being paid. As a result, 80 percent of Yemenis are now in debt, and more than half of all households have had to buy food on credit.Many people are resorting to eating less preferred foods, reducing portions or skipping meals altogether. In four governorates – Abyan, Al Hudaydah, Hadramaut, and Taizz, – malnutrition rates have passed the “emergency” threshold, meaning an acute malnutrition rate of more than 15 percent. Many people are resorting to eating less preferred foods, reducing portions or skipping meals altogether. In four governorates – Abyan, Al Hudaydah, Hadramaut, and Taizz, – malnutrition rates have passed the “emergency” threshold, meaning an acute malnutrition rate of more than 15 percent. The agriculture sector of Yemen is the main source of livelihood for 60 percent of Yemeni households. The conflict has been vastly detrimental to the agriculture sector with production falling drastically in 2016, compared to pre-crisis levels. Up to 1.5 million households engaged in agriculture now lack access to critical agricultural inputs (including seeds, fertilisers, fuel for irrigation) and are in urgent need of emergency agricultural support. Of these, 860 000 households engaged in livestock production lack access to animal feed (fodder, concentrate, mineral blocks) and many livestock-dependent households have been forced to sell their herds to cater for other household needs.