World Hunger Today
While enough food is produced to feed the global population, 815 million people (11% of the world population) are undernourished. And alarmingly, this value has increased in the last 3 years, after 11 years of hunger reduction. Moreover, 22.9% of children under 5 years suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition, and 33% of women in reproductive age have anaemia. On the other side of the spectrum, obesity rates have doubled since 1980 and have reached 640.9 million adults worldwide. Rather than by scarcity, the persistence of hunger is therefore caused by an unequal distribution of food, which is produced by a combination of social, economic and environmental factors (FAO 2017).
Food insecurity in Somalia is dangerously approaching famine.
The vast majority of people suffering from hunger today live in places under conflict, mainly in North Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia. For instance, the current civil war in South Sudan has caused a severe famine. Direct destruction of agricultural assets (croplands and livestock) through violence, and blockage of humanitarian food aid has left 5 million people in severe undernourishment. Conflicts also result in economic crises and inflation of food prices, which mainly affect poor communities. This is the case of Yemen, where an economic crisis, coupled with epidemic outbreaks has lead to the most severe famine in the last decades, with 7 million people facing starvation. Furthermore, displaced populations and refugees from conflict areas are highly susceptible to malnutrition, and they have doubled in the last decade, reaching 65 million.
In addition, 40% of the conflicts in the last 60 years were linked to competition over natural resources, and climate change can create and aggravate these conflicts. Extreme and unpredictable weather conditions can further reduce food assets, increase pest outbreaks, create climate refugees, cause fluctuations in staple food prices, and affect economic capacity; all directly contributing to food insecurity.
The lack of peace undermines any efforts to improving food security, and resolving conflicts should hence be a central target to achieve zero hunger worldwide.
Diego Garcia-Vega - December 3rd 2017
In addition, 40% of the conflicts in the last 60 years were linked to competition over natural resources, and climate change can create and aggravate these conflicts. Extreme and unpredictable weather conditions can further reduce food assets, increase pest outbreaks, create climate refugees, cause fluctuations in staple food prices, and affect economic capacity; all directly contributing to food insecurity.
The lack of peace undermines any efforts to improving food security, and resolving conflicts should hence be a central target to achieve zero hunger worldwide.
Diego Garcia-Vega - December 3rd 2017