A Nation at Risk: Liberia’s Silent Hunger and Malnutrition Crisis Threatens Future Generations

By Sayba Yawai Tamba  

For many years, I have worked alongside communities affected by hunger and malnutrition. Yet this article is written from the perspective of a citizen witnessing a painful reality unfolding across Liberia. Beyond the data and reports are families making impossible choices every day: parents trying to feed their children, caregivers searching for treatment, health workers striving to save malnourished children despite limited resources, social workers supporting vulnerable families through many challenges, and communities facing uncertainty about their future.

Monrovia — Liberia is facing a silent but devastating hunger and malnutrition crisis. Despite progress made since the civil war ended, malnutrition remains stubbornly entrenched, threatening the future of the nation’s children.

Recent evidence paints a sobering picture of the nutrition landscape in Liberia. In 2025, the Comprehensive Food Security and Nutrition Survey (CFSNS) found that 8.5 percent of children in Liberia, below the age of five years, suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they are too thin for their height because they are not getting enough nutritious food, which makes them weak and more likely to get sick and die. At the same time, more than one in four (26.3 percent) children are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age because they have not received enough nutritious food over a very long period. This situation is even worse in the rural areas, where nearly one in three young children (32.3 percent) are stunted, highlighting the long-standing geographic disparities in access to nutritious foods, quality health services, and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.

The 2025 survey also found that in Liberia 21.5 percent of households are food insecure, while an additional 56.2 percent are only marginally food secure, meaning that nearly eight out of every ten households are either struggling to feed their families or worrying about where their next meal will come from. A problem like the loss of job, sickness, or unexpected spending can suddenly make it harder for them to put enough food on the table. The current high cost of petroleum products, driven by the precarious global energy market conditions, and Liberia’s heavy dependence on imported products are aggravating the situation. These issues coupled with the poor transportation system in Liberia make it more expensive to transport food and other essential goods across the country. The recent improvement in road development will play a part in addressing the situation but until then, the high cost of transportation affects the cost of farming, fishing, schooling, and the prices of basic goods and services in the communities. Higher transport costs contribute to rising prices of food items, especially imported commodities. This is particularly acute in the rural communities, placing additional pressure on poor households, and making it harder for many families to cope.

As food and transportation costs rise faster than’ household earnings, many families have to make difficult choices about what they can afford to eat. To make limited incomes last, families often buy cheaper staple foods and reduce purchases of more nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish, meat. milk, and other sources of essential minerals and vitamins. With household incomes failing to keep pace with rising transport and food costs, the ability to spend has weakened, limiting families’ ability to acquire sufficient and nutritious food. Dietary diversity is poor among both children and women. The 2025 CFSNS found that only 12.1 percent of young children eat from enough different types of foods, and just 2.4% receive a minimum acceptable diet. Among women of child bearing age, only 6.7% meet the minimum dietary diversity standard. These poor diets are linked to heavy reliance on staple foods such as cereals and tubers, and limited access to markets due to high transport costs, especially during the rainy season, which make nutritious foods less available and less affordable.

As a result, households in Liberia typically spend around 69 percent of their total expenditure on food, leaving little room to cope with income losses or other emergencies. Reflecting these pressures, the 2025/26 Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis estimated that 418,000 people (7 percent of the population) experienced acute food insecurity between October and December 2025, with this number projected to increase to 506,000 people (9 percent) during the current lean season, June–August 2026.

The increasing difficulty that households face in accessing affordable and nutritious food is translating into poor nutritional outcomes across Liberia, with the consequences being particularly severe for children. Although many young children consume meals regularly, the 2025 CFSNS found that their diets often lack the variety of foods needed to provide essential vitamins and minerals. As households devote a growing share of their incomes to staple foods, rice, cassava, fish, and palm oil, to ensure that everyone has enough to eat, they often reduce consumption of more nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, fish, meat and other protein sources. These constraints are reflected in national nutrition outcomes; nearly 2 million people in Liberia are malnourished (FAO, 2025), underscoring the close relationship between food insecurity, inadequate access to nutritious foods, and poor nutrition outcomes for the country.

The Human Cost

Behind these statistics are real people whose lives are shaped every day by hunger and malnutrition, the persistent lack of sufficient food to meet basic dietary needs and inadequate intake of nutrients needed for the body to function properly. In Bong County, mothers report skipping meals so their children can eat, sacrificing their own health in an effort to protect their families. In Grand Kru, health workers warn that malnutrition continues to contribute to preventable child deaths, particularly among young children whose bodies are too weak to fight common illnesses. Teachers in rural communities describe classrooms where hungry children struggle to concentrate, learn, and participate, making it harder for them to succeed in school and limiting their opportunities later in life.

At just eleven months old, Saye in Nimba County was referred to a hospital for severe acute malnutrition and illnesses related to it. He was so weak that health workers feared he might not survive. Although he recovered after receiving medical treatment and being fed with locally available foods such as rice and plantain porridge with bennie seed, beans or peas, and eggs, banana, and pawpaw, his recovery remained fragile. When Saye left the hospital, his recovery represented a moment of hope, but the journey did not end there. His grandparents, who were caring for him and his two older siblings, following the death of his mother, could not consistently provide these nutritious foods due to poverty. Saye later relapsed, highlighting the difficult reality that many families are facing trying to ensure treatment and sustain recovery from acute malnutrition. Today, thousands of Liberian children like Saye face even greater odds. With hospitals and clinics across the country experiencing shortages of therapeutic retreatments, especially recommended foods and other essential supplies for treating acute malnutrition, many severely malnourished children are unable to receive the timely care they need, leaving families with little hope for recovery and increasing the risk of preventable illness and death

Beyond childhood, the effects of malnutrition continue to influence health, development, and well-being. Children who do not receive the nutrients they need during their early years are more likely to experience poor physical growth, delayed cognitive development, and lower educational attainment. As adults, they often face reduced employment opportunities, lower earnings, and poorer health, creating a cycle of poverty that can persist across generations. Malnutrition also weakens the immune system, increases the risk of illness, contributes to poor maternal health, and places additional strain on families and the country’s health systems and economic growth.

 A Nation at Risk

The consequences malnutrition extend far beyond individual households and represent a significant challenge to Liberia’s long-term social and economic development. Malnutrition today can become poverty tomorrow. Children who experience chronic malnutrition during their early years are more likely to face difficulties in learning, completing school, and reaching their full potential. These effects can continue into adulthood, affecting a person’s ability to succeed in school, access better job opportunities, earn a stable income, and maintain good health, ultimately reducing their ability to reach their full potential. UNICEF has highlighted that stunting can have lasting consequences for children’s development, educational outcomes, and future productivity, reinforcing cycles of poverty across generations. For Liberia, where improving human development remains central to achieving inclusive economic growth, addressing malnutrition is an essential investment in the country’s human capital.

Communities facing widespread malnutrition and hunger are more vulnerable to poverty and social tensions, making good nutrition not only a public health priority but also a cornerstone of peace, resilience, and sustainable development. Hunger may be experienced at the individual or household level, but its effects are felt across the nation through lost human potential, reduced workforce productivity, and slow economic growth, and increase the demand for health and social services. A population that does not have access to adequate nutrition is less able to fully participate in education, employment, and economic activities, limiting Liberia’s ability to build the skilled and productive workforce needed for sustained growth.

Across Liberia, many families are doing their best to provide for themselves. Farmers work hard to grow cassava, rice, vegetables, and other crops, while many households raise chickens, goats, or engage in small businesses to earn an income. Parents make difficult choices every day to feed and educate their children, and many communities support one another during times of hardship like during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. However, these efforts alone are often not enough. Poor road networks make it difficult for farmers to transport and sell their produce before it spoils. Limited access to quality seeds, farming tools, irrigation, storage facilities, and agricultural extension services reduces productivity. Climate-related shocks, rising food prices, low incomes, and limited access to affordable healthcare also make it difficult for families to consistently provide nutritious diets. Even when families are willing to work hard, these broader challenges can prevent their efforts from making a lasting difference.

The economic impact of malnutrition also extends to national systems and public resources. Poor nutrition contributes to increased healthcare needs, greater vulnerability to disease, and additional pressure on already limited social services. These costs reduce the resources available for investments in education, infrastructure, agriculture, and other areas that drive economic development. Strengthening nutrition is therefore not only a health priority but also an investment in Liberia’s workforce, productivity, and future prosperity.

Liberia’s progress in reducing child stunting over the past two decades demonstrates that improvement is possible. However, the current level of stunting remains above the acceptable threshold and is therefore considered a major public health concern by the World Health Organization. Sustaining and accelerating progress will require continued investment in nutrition, resilient food systems, quality healthcare, and social protection to ensure that all Liberians have the opportunity to thrive.

Investing in nutrition is ultimately an investment in Liberia’s future. A healthier population is better positioned to learn, work, contribute to the economy, and build stronger communities, making nutrition a foundation for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 and advancing the country’s long-term development goals.

Government and International Response

The Government of Liberia has taken important steps to address food insecurity and malnutrition through policies, programs, and partnerships aimed at improving the national food systems and protecting vulnerable households. A key milestone is the National Agricultural Development Plan (NADP, 2024–2030), which seeks to transform Liberia’s agricultural sector by increasing productivity, strengthening food systems, improving market access, promoting private sector participation, and building resilience to climate change. Liberia’s Food and Nutrition Security Crisis Preparedness Plan (2025) is another major effort seeking to improve preparedness for food security shocks, strengthen early warning systems, and ensure timely, coordinated responses during emergencies.

Across the government, efforts are also underway to promote diversified agricultural production, improve nutrition education, strengthen market linkages, expand home-grown school feeding programs, and encourage community-based food production. These initiatives are helping to increase the availability of nutritious foods, improve access to healthy diets, and build the resilience of households and communities to future shocks.

Development partners including the World Bank, African Development Bank, UN Agencies[i], the International NGOs Forum, Civil Society Organizations, and donors continue to provide critical financial and technical support. Working alongside the Government of Liberia, these partners and other stakeholder support food assistance, nutrition services for women and children, agricultural development, strengthening health systems, school feeding programs, data monitoring and information management related to food security, and emergency preparedness.

Despite these important investments, the scale and complexity of malnutrition require rigorous and sustained action across multiple sectors. Experience from around the world shows that lasting progress can be achieved through public-private partnerships to develop stronger food systems, greater agricultural productivity, improved rural roads, improved market access, expanded access to quality healthcare, nutrition, water and sanitation services, climate-resilient agriculture, social protection programs, and continued investment in empowering communities to produce, access, and consume nutritious food throughout the year.

Why Action Cannot Wait

Hunger and malnutrition are a threat to Liberia’s future development. Prolonged often leads to malnutrition when individuals cannot obtain the calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals their bodies need. When children do not receive the nutrition required to grow and learn, the country loses future potential through reduced educational achievement, lower workforce productivity, and increased economic costs. In addition, food insecurity can deepen poverty, increase inequality, and make communities more vulnerable to future shocks.

The warning from the 2025 Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis is clear: without sustained action, seasonal food shortages, rising food prices, and climate-related shocks risk pushing more vulnerable households into crisis. Delaying action will increase the human and economic costs of malnutrition and make future recovery more difficult. The good news is that malnutrition is preventable. Liberia’s progress in reducing child stunting from 45 percent to 26 percent over the past two decades demonstrates that meaningful change is possible. However, accelerating this progress will require coordinated action across all sectors of society.

Food security and nutrition cannot be achieved by increasing food production alone. Families need not only enough food, but also access to affordable and diverse foods, quality healthcare, good nutrition practices, and safe water and sanitation services. A child’s ability to grow, learn, and thrive depends on all these factors working together.

Liberia must therefore continue strengthening resilient food systems that improve the availability and affordability of nutritious foods while expanding access to health, nutrition, and safe water, sanitation and hygiene services. This integrated approach is essential to break the cycle of food insecurity, malnutrition, poor health, and reduced productivity, while building a healthier and more productive population.

Every part of society has a role to play. Individuals and families can support better nutrition through diversified household food production, improved infant and young child feeding practices, and participation in community nutrition and sanitation activities.

Local governments can strengthen community health services, improve water and sanitation infrastructure, support local food production, and identify vulnerable households before crises become emergencies in their areas. The national government must continue investing in agriculture, nutrition, maternal and child health, climate adaptation, rural infrastructure, social protection, and early warning systems that allow timely responses to emerging food and nutrition security risks. Development partners can support Liberia through long-term investments that strengthen national capacity. Technical support, technology transfer, climate adaptation assistance, and investments in resilient food systems can help Liberia become more self-reliant and better prepared for future challenges.

The challenges facing Liberians are not due to a lack of effort but to barriers beyond their control. As one farmer in Lofa County told the author, “We don’t want handouts. We want the tools and support to feed ourselves.” This sentiment reflects the desire of many farming families to produce more food and improve their livelihoods but who continue to face obstacles such as poor roads, limited access to quality inputs, and inadequate market opportunities. The support farmers need include improved seeds, irrigation, affordable credit, farm equipment, storage facilities, extension services, better roads to markets, reliable weather information, early warning systems, and fair opportunities for farmers to sell their produce.

Success will be measured not only by reductions in malnutrition rates, but by the changes people experience in their daily lives. This means children growing up healthy and ready to learn, families having reliable access to affordable and nutritious foods, farmers earning better incomes from productive and resilient farms, and community es being better prepared for future shocks. It means a Liberia where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential and where nutrition becomes a foundation for stronger families, healthier communities, and sustainable national development.

Ultimately, the fight against malnutrition in Liberia is more than an investment in food. It is an investment in the nation’s children, families, communities, and future. Every child who has access to adequate, nutritious food has a better chance of growing up healthy, succeeding in school, contributing to the economy, and helping build a stronger and more prosperous Liberia.

With the joint effort of us all, the civil society, private sector and the Government of Liberia and her development partners, every Liberian will have access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food and the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.

Hunger and malnutrition may be silent, but the response must be strong, coordinated, and sustained.

 

 

[i] AFDB FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO