The world is facing a severe hunger crisis, with more than 730 million people around the globe suffering from hunger last year, including 20 percent of the population in Africa. This alarming data comes from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, which underscores the urgent need for comprehensive political and financial action to combat food insecurity.
According to the SOFI report, one in 11 people globally went hungry in 2023. The report highlights significant regional disparities, with hunger affecting 20.4 percent of the population in Africa, 8.1 percent in Asia, and 6.2 percent in Latin America. The FAO warns that if current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished by 2030, with half of them residing in Africa.
The report emphasizes that global hunger levels have plateaued for three consecutive years, setting the world back 15 years to levels of undernourishment comparable to those in 2008-2009. This stagnation signals a critical failure to address the root causes of hunger and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger by 2030.
The report reveals stark regional differences in hunger trends. While Africa continues to see a rise in the percentage of its population facing hunger, Asia remains stable but still faces significant challenges as it is home to more than half of the world’s hungry population. Latin America shows progress, yet hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African sub-regions from 2022 to 2023.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu stated that “transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years.” The regional disparities underscore the need for tailored strategies that address the specific challenges and opportunities within different areas.
Several factors are driving the current hunger crisis. Persistent food price inflation continues to erode economic gains for many, particularly in low-income countries. Conflict, climate change, and economic downturns have become more frequent and severe, further exacerbating food insecurity. The FAO report stresses that these issues, along with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments, and persistent inequality, are coinciding simultaneously, amplifying their individual effects.
Cindy McCain, executive director of the UN’s World Food Program (WFP), highlighted that “a future free from hunger is possible if we can rally the resources and the political will needed to invest in proven long-term solutions.”
The SOFI report sheds light on the devastating impact of hunger on children. One in four children under the age of five suffers from under nutrition, which can lead to long-term damage to physical growth and brain development. Global child stunting rates have dropped by one third in the last two decades, showing that investments in maternal and child nutrition pay off. However, the prevalence of wasting among children and anemia in women aged 15 to 49 years has not seen significant improvement.
The report also highlights the double burden of malnutrition: the co-existence of under nutrition with overweight and obesity. While thinness and underweight have declined in the last two decades, obesity has risen sharply, with projections indicating that by 2030, the world will have more than 1.2 billion obese adults.
Global initiatives and strategies to combat hunger are crucial. FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu emphasized the importance of transforming agrifood systems and addressing inequalities. Cindy McCain called for ambitious global action and investment in proven solutions, urging G20 leaders to follow Brazil’s example. Brazil’s Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) and Bolsa Familia (Family Allowance) programs significantly reduced malnutrition and poverty in the country.
“We need to build on the progress achieved in this region and share this experience with other regions, especially Africa,” Qu said. These programs demonstrate that comprehensive and sustained efforts can yield significant results in the fight against hunger.
The upcoming G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro is a critical opportunity for international collaboration. The FAO and other UN agencies are calling on G20 leaders to prioritize hunger and poverty on their agenda. Increased and more cost-effective financing for food security and nutrition is essential to bridging the gap and achieving SDG 2.
Achieving SDG 2 Zero Hunger requires a multifaceted approach, including transforming agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all. The heads of FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO emphasized the need for significant resource mobilization in their joint statement. “Policies, legislation, and interventions to end hunger and ensure all people have access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food need significant resource mobilization. They are not only an investment in the future but our obligation,” they stated.
The FAO argued that innovative and equitable solutions are necessary to close the financing gap, particularly for countries facing high levels of hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by climate impacts.
The SOFI report highlights the critical need for comprehensive political and financial action to address global hunger. The alarming levels of hunger and malnutrition call for immediate and sustained efforts to transform agrifood systems, address inequalities, and ensure food security for all. As Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated, “Hunger is not something natural. Hunger is something that requires a political decision.”
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