WFP warns of El Niño threatening food security for 49 million people

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on August 5, 2026, that a severe El Niño weather phenomenon could push nearly 49 million additional people into acute food insecurity by the end of 2027. Experts indicate an 81% probability of an exceptionally strong event, with sea surface temperatures reaching their highest levels since at least 1982, potentially making it the most significant occurrence since 1950.

El Niño, characterized by periodic increases in Pacific Ocean surface temperatures, disrupts global weather patterns. According to Jean-Martin Bauer, director of the WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, these conditions historically trigger widespread hunger. The phenomenon is typically linked to severe droughts in Southern Africa, delayed monsoon seasons across parts of Asia, and unpredictable precipitation patterns elsewhere. The WFP has conducted an analysis specifically targeting 45 countries deemed most vulnerable to these climatic shifts.

This climate event poses a critical risk to global food supply chains in regions already struggling with resource instability. While the WFP has identified the scope of the potential humanitarian crisis, they continue to monitor the situation to assess the precise impact on agricultural yields and food availability in the affected nations.