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Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 is one of the 17 SDGs established by the United Nations in 2015, which aims to achieve zero hunger by 2030. The increase in food insecurity over the years has become a A worrisome global problem as the number of hungry and undernourished people continue to rise as a result of war, weather anomalies, poverty and increasing populations in certain parts of the world. Furthermore, rising international food prices have seriously affected food production costs, especially in food exporting countries. As a result, countries have sought ways to protect themselves from price shocks by imposing export restrictions. According to the UN, an estimated 821 million people in the world suffered from food hunger in 2018. Currently, the rise and fall of the coronavirus add more challenges to achieving the zero hunger target by 2030 and may not be achieved if we do not act.
According to UN statistics, more than 2 billion people do not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food, including 8% of the population of North America and Europe. Africa has been identified as the region with the highest malnutrition rate of approximately 20%. Western Asia follows with more than 12% and Latin America and the Caribbean with a prevalence of less than 7%. Before the current pandemic, drought and conflict had been the main causes of food insecurity around the world, in addition to increasing population and poverty. For example, in the Horn of Africa, weather anomalies such as drought and low rainfall have exacerbated food insecurity, as approximately 80% of the population lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture for food and income. . The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says the drought is considered the most catastrophic natural disaster in the Horn of Africa and causes widespread famine, while periodic flooding also increases the presence of locusts in the region.
Conflicts also exacerbate food insecurity, as men are unable to engage in agricultural production. This diverts resources from uses that would be beneficial to the entire community, and as a result, the international community has to step in to provide assistance to those affected. The conflict also has a severe impact on the poor, leaving them more disadvantaged by displacing them from their homes and resources. Finally, population growth in developing countries also increases the demand for food production, particularly in places with a low prevalence of contraceptive use. Furthermore, increased migration from the countryside to the city has also affected food production, especially for farmers through lower productivity and less land to feed themselves in order to supply and meet the demands of expanding cities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on global food security. According to the September 2020 report by tthe High-level panel of experts in food safety and nutrition (HLPE), lockdown measures by individual states have significantly affected the availability of food, causing a dramatic increase in hunger and malnutrition worldwide. According to United Nations World Food Program, another 130 million people are at risk of acute food insecurity by the end of 2020. Closure measures to contain the spread of the virus have been shown to cause disruptions in food supply chains through the closure of restaurants and other food service facilities, loss of income and livelihoods.
They have also widened the inequality gap and disrupted social protection programs. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), in the second quarter of 2020, more than 400 million full-time jobs have been lost as a result of lockdown measures applied in several countries, further exacerbating related inequalities with access to basic needs. and health. Although lockdown measures have helped contain the spread of the coronavirus, the global food security crisis will deteriorate further as each economy suffers higher rates of unemployment and poverty.
According to the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2020, hunger around the world is currently at a moderate level. However, several countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the highest levels of hunger and malnutrition in the world. The countries that are considered to have alarming levels of hunger are Chad, Timor-Leste and Madagascar. Hunger levels have also worsened in conflict-affected states, including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The GHI further estimated that approximately 37 countries will not even achieve low hunger by 2030, which implies that the world is not on track to achieve SDG 2.
For decades, world hunger and the food security crisis have been a challenge for the international community and world leaders, intergovernmental organizations and non-profit organizations have taken steps to address this problem. For example, in 1996, world leaders pledged in the Rome Declaration and Plan of Action at FAO’s World Food Summit to cut the number of hungry and malnourished people in half by 2015. Currently, there are United Nations agencies that deal with food security such as the World Food Program (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. WFP has been recognized for its efforts to combat hunger and in conflict-affected areas such as Yemen in 2018. WFP has been recognized for its role in improving access to disputed natural resources. For example, it has contributed to community participation through the rehabilitation of irrigation canals and pipelines in disputed territories along the Kyrgyz border with Tajikistan. This resulted in an increase in water supply and agricultural productivity that helped address conflicts between communities.
Overall, it is clear that there has been some progress in addressing food insecurity around the world, although we may not be on pace with achieving zero hunger by 2030. Addressing global food insecurity requires a multifaceted approach, as there are underlying issues that need to be addressed simultaneously, such as poverty and climate change. The increasingly interdependent nature of today’s world economy highlights the need for joint efforts by the international community to address this problem. However, there are ways in which we, as individuals and states, can do our part by minimizing food waste, supporting efforts to alleviate the food security crisis through donations, ensuring fair trade policies, and encouraging the use of sustainable resources. It is also important to note that we all have different starting points in life in terms of opportunities, which leaves some more disadvantaged than others. Therefore, addressing these inequality gaps by providing the conditions for an equitable society is key to helping eradicate poverty and food insecurity around the world.
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