“Moving in the wrong direction”: UN says goal to end hunger by 2030 is out of reach
13 Jul 2023 --- Five UN agencies are warning that 122 million more people are suffering from hunger as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, climate shocks and recent conflicts compared to 2019. If no changes are made, the current goal of ending world hunger by 2030 will be unachievable, and instead, 600 million people will be affected.
In the Caribbean, Western Africa and subregions of Africa, hunger is still rising while it has reduced in Asia and Latin America. On the African continent, one in five people is facing hunger.
“We are moving in the wrong direction. Conflicts and mass displacement continue to drive global hunger. Rising poverty, deepening inequalities, rampant underdevelopment, the climate crisis and natural disasters also contribute to food insecurity,” states António Guterres, secretary-general at the UN.
“Recovery from the global pandemic has been uneven, and the war in Ukraine has affected nutritious food and healthy diets. This is the ‘new normal’ where climate change, conflict and economic instability further push those on the margins from safety. We cannot take a business-as-usual approach,” says QU Dongyu, director-general at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The warning agencies are the FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme.
The food crisis went beyond hunger in 2021 as 42% (3.1 billion) of the global population could not afford a healthy diet, an increase of 134 million people compared to 2019, stresses the FAO.
Interacting factors
The global food commodity prices driven by COVID-19 was exacerbated by the Ukraine war, creating a new surge in food prices. The increasing prices also led to high import costs, affecting those countries dependent on food imports the most, details Maximo Torero, chief economist at the FAO.
The poorest part of the population has been hit hardest by the increase in food prices and overall inflation.The poorest part of the population has been hit hardest by the increase in food prices and overall inflation, as for many people, most of their income has been spent on food.
“The second factor, which goes in the opposite direction, is the income,” says Torero.
As an effect of the economic recovery in 2022, household disposable income most commonly increased, as well as access to food. Therefore, these two interacting factors have stalled the global hunger crisis, which was mainly observed in Asia and Latin America.
“Amidst these intersecting crises, it has never been more important to safeguard the diversity of our crops, which ensures the future of the world’s food supply,” says Stefan Schmitz, executive director at the Crop Trust.
Resilience through urbanization
Torero further notes that to improve food security and nutrition for all, we must consider urbanization.
Schmitz comments that the report highlights the dangerous state of the world’s nutrition, “with urbanization further complicating and destabilizing a global agri-food system already under severe pressure from the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, natural catastrophes, conflicts and rising costs,”
Forecasting that seven in ten people will be living in cities by 2050, the food system needs to be updated as using traditional food systems poses challenges.
Torero highlights the challenge of the wide availability of ultra-processed foods, “which often contribute to malnutrition,” and the absence of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables that helps people meet their daily nutrient requirements.
“Another problem is the exclusion of small farmers from formal value chains and loss of lands and natural capital due to urban expansion.”
Yet, urbanization also brings opportunities as it results from “longer, more formal and complex food value chains that expand income-generating activities in off-farm employment, especially for women and youth, and increases the variety of nutritious foods.”
“We must build resilience against the crises and shocks that drive food insecurity-from conflict to climate,” adds Guterres.
Increased urbanization brings both opportunities and challenges to food systems, says Torero.
Empowering populations
Schmitz further says crop diversity and the genebanks that conserve it are essential to feeding us all, which urgently need resources to continue their vital work.
“The Crop Trust calls on businesses and governments to lend their support to help address the urgent challenge of ensuring sufficient, nutritious and affordable food for all,” he says.
Torero at the FAO adds that these strategies will only work if poverty and structural inequalities are tackled. To do so, vulnerable populations require empowerment and more equal distribution of resources needs to be ensured.
Last year, a study presented “the vicious cycle of malnutrition” in India as nutrition inequality shows a high association with low income, especially among women and children, with malnutrition being the leading cause of death for young children in the country.
“We need to integrate humanitarian development and peacebuilding policies where conflict exists. Second, we need to cope with the risks of climate change and scale-up climate resilience across the agri-food systems. Third, we need to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversities,” Torero concludes.
By Beatrice Wihlander
