Nearly a tenth of the global population – up to 811 million people – were undernourished in 2020, said a new report titled “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.” The report is jointly published by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Facts & Figures:
More than half of all undernourished people (about 418 million) live in Asia followed by Africa (282 million) and Latin America and the Caribbean (60 million).
However, the sharpest rise in hunger was witnessed in Africa, where the estimated prevalence of undernourishment is more than double that of any other region.
The report goes on to say that about 30 percent of the global population did not have year-round access to adequate food. Also, gender inequality too intensified i.e. for every 10 food-insecure males; there were 11 food-insecure females last year.
Based on current trends, the report estimates that Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger by 2030) will be missed by a margin of approximately 660 million people.
Recommendations:
· Integrate humanitarian, development and peace-building policies in conflict areas, such as through social protection measures to prevent families from selling their assets in exchange for food.
· Climate resilience needs to be scaled up across food systems.
· Strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversity through in-kind or cash support programs to reduce the impact of food price volatility.
· Lower the cost of nutritious foods with interventions along supply chains.
· Tackle poverty and structural inequalities by boosting food value chains in poor communities
· Strengthen food environments and changing consumer behavior