UNITED NATIONS - Civil conflict and weather-related shocks have severely stressed food security in 2016, increasing the number of countries in need of food assistance, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report issued Thursday.
The new edition of the Crop Prospects and Food Situation report highlighted 39 countries that are in need of external assistance for food. 
While the outlook for global cereal supplies is improving due to generally favourable growing conditions for crops, the legacy of recent droughts persists, as do the negative effects of a spate of conflicts.
Agricultural forecasts suggest robust grain harvests are on the horizon, but hunger will likely intensify in some regions during the lean seasons before the new crops have matured.
In Southern Africa, where El Nino effects sharply curtailed food production in 2016, the number of people requiring outside assistance from January through March 2017 is expected to significantly increase compared to the same period a year ago.
Child stunting rates are "significantly high" in the most troubled areas, notably Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique, the report noted. (Xinhua)