821 million people globally now facing chronic food deprivation, warns Global Food Policy Report

27 Mar 2019 --- A revitalization of rural areas is urgently needed to stop rising malnutrition rates, according to the Global Food Policy Report, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Such revitalization could address the multiple crises facing rural areas, including malnutrition rates. The report notes that in 2018, malnutrition jumped for the third year in a row, with 821 million people globally now facing chronic food deprivation. The report also underscores the continuing need for improved nutritional development and innovation to tackle the myriad of issues laid out in the IFPRI report.

Many of the world’s poorest and most malnourished people live in rural areas, so, addressing development here is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), which are a collection of 17 goals covering key social and economic development issues, such as poverty, hunger and gender equality. Rural populations account for 45.3 percent of the world’s population, but 70 percent of “the extremely poor.” Rural communities have continued to find themselves in a “state of crisis,” marked by a deepening cycle of hunger and malnutrition, persistent poverty, limited economic opportunities and environmental degradation, the report notes.

The role of nutrition-innovation
The global food system has recently come under increased scrutiny. According to the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), for example, global food systems are failing and urgently need to be turned around to avoid catastrophic climate change. The current approach to food, nutrition, agriculture and the environment is “unsustainable and must change” – and there is “no time to waste.” This is according to the 130 national academies of science and medicine, across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe, that make up the IAP.  

Meanwhile, it was highlighted that more than 14 million adults and 4.7 million children in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) suffer from “severe food insecurity” in a report released in December by the United Nations Food and Agriculture (UN FAO) agency. The region has made good progress on eradicating hunger but continues to be thwarted by the persistence of the triple burden of malnutrition – overweight and obesity in combination with undernourishment and micronutrient deficiencies. Nutrition-sensitive innovations to improve diets have the potential to improve rural livelihoods.

According to the Global Food Policy Report, in order to meet the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable by 2030, rural revitalization must begin now. Different regions, however, have different needs, it notes. In Africa, the focus needs to examine agricultural and rural development; in South Asia, diversifying the rural economy to expand rural employment and stem migration is likely to be a priority; and in China, improving the rural environment and living conditions to attract young people back to the countryside will be critical. 

Significantly, transforming agrifood systems to benefit rural areas will be paramount to reducing malnutrition, the report explains. Investments in agricultural research and development, postharvest rural activities and climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive innovations have the potential to transform key components of the agrifood system, improve diets, strengthen rural economies and improve rural livelihoods.

Investment in health services can also serve as a “linchpin” to improving nutrition, the report says. Direct nutrition interventions, such as the promotion of breastfeeding or food fortification and indirect interventions such as providing clean water can drive advances in increasing dietary diversity, eliminating childhood stunting and reducing poverty. 

The report’s conclusions will raise discussion around the role for nutrition innovations within this environment. These could include the use of biofortification techniques, which can make the processing of food easier in countries where commercial food processing is less developed and where people are suffering from heightened malnutrition. Fortification is a further method that has spurred positive results in nutrition interventions. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described food fortification as the most cost-effective strategy for preventing and addressing micronutrient deficiencies in both developed and developing countries around the world.A method for improve rural areas outlined in the report includes ensuring the health of the ecosystem.

Rural revitalization: The wider picture
Rural areas struggle with the environmental crisis in China; severe agrarian crisis in India, and acute shortage of jobs for the growing youth populations in Africa, for example. To overcome these challenges, the report calls for rural revitalization, highlighting policies, institutions, and investments that can transform rural areas into vibrant and healthy places to live, work and raise families.

Some methods outlined in the report include increasing employment opportunities, ensuring the health of the ecosystem, working toward gender equality and giving a voice to rural populations on the world stage.

The report notes that 2018 was “framed by deteriorating world conditions.” These were related to increased interest rates in the US, a softening world economy, escalating trade disputes and geopolitical uncertainties. Such negative trends are likely to deepen in 2019, stresses the report, necessitating action from the private and public sectors.

“With perseverance, 2019 can become the year when the will to eliminate hunger and malnutrition finally gathers momentum, forging a bright future for poor people around the world,” says Shenggen Fan, Director General of the, IFPRI.

The report predicts that rural areas could become premiere hubs of innovations in just under a decade. Revitalization of rural areas could increase life quality, health and nutrition outcomes and economic futures. 

“I hope this report spurs action by policymakers as well as academics and members of the business community, civil society, and the media, all of whom have a stake in food policies that benefit the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people,” Fan concludes.

By Laxmi Haigh