NAIROBI - About 60 million people across Sub- Saharan Africa are at risk of acute hunger as food production situation is set to further worsen with the looming El Nino, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Monday.

The IFRC is warning that increased support is needed now to alleviate hunger, and to prepare for worsening conditions for farmers.

Michael Charles, IFRC acting regional representative in southern Africa, said erratic rainfall, failed crops and violence in the Sahel and eastern Africa have compromised the livelihoods of many farming communities.

"The regularity with which we see food insecurity in Africa has left many people apathetic. But the crisis currently facing millions of families is not inevitable and should not be acceptable," Charles said in a statement issued in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

"There are many things that we can do to stop this food crisis in its tracks and alleviate the impact on vulnerable people, but we need international support to make this happen," he added.

According to the relief agency, a series of climatic shocks in 2014 and 2015 decimated harvests, leaving many people dependent on food aid to survive.

Floods and drought in southern Africa resulted in significant declines in the production of maize -- the regional staple.

The El Nino phenomenon, characterized by a warming in the Pacific Ocean, is set to strengthen over the coming months and persist into 2016. When El Nino occurs, rainfall patterns shift, increasing the risk of extreme weather events.(Xinhua)