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World hunger will not be reduced by 2030. In fact, it is expected to worsen.
A United Nations report published on Wednesday says the world is moving away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030.
“The number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The report highlights that 2.3 billion people globally (29.3%) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021 – 350 million more than before the pandemic. Nearly 924 million people (11.7%) faced food insecurity at severe levels, an increase of 207 million in two years.
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In South Africa, people who are unable to afford a healthy diet increased from 37.2 million in 2017 to 38.7 million in 2020. The cost of a healthy diet increased from $4.1 in 2017 to $4.9 in 2020. In rand value on Wednesday, that’s an increase from R68.93 to R82.38 per person per day.
The 2022 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report provides updates on the food security and nutrition situation around the world, including the latest estimates of the cost and affordability of a healthy diet.
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The report, authored by three UN organisations, the World Health Organisation and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, said:
“We are now only eight years away from 2030, the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) target year. The distance to reach many of the SDG 2 targets is growing wider each year, while the time to 2030 is narrowing.”
Africa continues to suffer
The report also found that food insecurity increased the most in Africa.
One in five people in Africa (20.2% of the population) were facing hunger in 2021, compared to 9.1% in Asia, 8.6% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 5.8 % in Oceania and less than 2.5% in Northern America and Europe.
The World Food Programme executive director, David Beasley, was scathing in his assessment:
Due to the rising costs of healthy food all over the world, the report recommends that all governments urgently rethink “the allocation of public spending to repurpose food and agricultural policies”.
The report notes that the Covid-19 economic recovery efforts of various governments have affected many people, while the war against Ukraine by Russia has cast a shadow over the state of food security and nutrition for many countries, in particular those that are already facing hunger and food crisis situations.
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The uncertainty of the pandemic and of various conflicts, especially related to supply and costs, compounds the problem of food insecurity and malnutrition; while the constant threats of a global recession do not augur well for humanity’s most vulnerable.
Climate crisis has also heavily affected crops and food sources with many struggling to mitigate changing weather patterns.
Looking ahead
Until agrifood systems are transformed, become more resilient and deliver lower cost nutritious foods and affordable healthy diets for all, food insecurity and malnutrition will continue, the report makes clear.
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“The issue at stake is not whether or not adversities will continue to occur, but how we must take bolder action to build resilience against future shocks.”
By 2021, it was expected that hunger would begin to decline, driven by the expected economic recovery. This did not come to pass. The impact of the pandemic and consequent increase in inequalities prevented this expectation from materialising, the report adds.
“It is estimated that nearly 670 million people will still be undernourished in 2030 – 8% of the world population, which is the same percentage as in 2015 when the 2030 Agenda was launched.”
The UN food security report 2022
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