Regional look at Africa's crop prospects for 2011. | Source: FAO June 2011, Crop Prospects and Food Situation Report.

With few improvements to the food supply situation in Malawi, Mozambique, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin overall, 23 countries throughout Africa are experiencing a widespread difficulty in accessing a secure food source.  In a FAO "Crop Prospects and Food Situation"  report, the global information and an early warning system on food and agriculture (GIEWS) gives a rundown on what countries are most at risk now, and which ones are predicted to be in great need of food assistance in the future.

In a glimpse at low-income food-deficit group of countries,  the FAO believes cereal production to be the "highest year-on-year growth rate" of each of the previous five years.  The FAO also predicts a very "tight cereal supply and demand balance" to be the widespread trend across the globe, whereas they predict supplies of wheat to be well replenished despite problems had in previous years.  Rice and course grains are also expected to break records in output globally.

Click to view the full report.  The newest FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation report is to come out on July 7, 2011.