At 10:00 pm on July 12, 2023, Beijing time, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, and the World Food Program jointly released the report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World in 2023”. The report pointed out that since 2019, various crises have emerged one after another, and the number of hungry people in the world has increased by 122 million. There are currently about 735 million hungry people in the world, compared to 613 million in 2019.
Countries around the world may fall short of the Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger by 2030 if trends are left unchecked, five organizations have warned.
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The proportion of hungry people in Africa is more than twice the global average
According to the 2023 report, between 691 million and 783 million people worldwide will face hunger in 2022, with a median of 735 million. In other words, compared with 2019 before the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the number of hungry people in the world has increased by 122 million.
Although the increase in global hunger has been halted between 2021 and 2022, there are still many parts of the world that are sinking deeper into the food crisis. The report shows that by 2022, Asia and Latin America have made clear progress in reducing hunger, but hunger levels are still climbing in the subregions of West Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. In terms of the proportion of hungry people, Africa still bears the brunt, with one in five people without enough food, and the proportion of hungry people is more than twice the global average.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out at the press conference: “There seems to be a glimmer of hope at present. Some regions are making steady progress and are expected to achieve some nutrition goals as scheduled by 2030. Therefore, the international community should go all out and act decisively. Take action to get back on track and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals on schedule. We must strengthen resilience, respond to crises and shocks, mitigate the impact of adverse factors such as conflict and climate, and address the root causes of food insecurity.”
In the foreword to the report, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, IFAD President Alvaro Lario, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain and WHO Director-General Tedros pointed out: “Achieving the SDG target of ‘zero hunger’ by 2030 is undoubtedly a daunting challenge. In fact, by 2030, nearly 600 million people in the world are still expected to face hunger. These are the main factors behind food insecurity and malnutrition, which has become the ‘new normal’ around the world. We have no choice but to redouble our efforts to transform agri-food systems and build on them to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals specific goals.”
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148.1 million children under five are stunted
The report found that in 2022, the food security situation and nutritional status will remain severe. Measured by the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity, 2.4 billion people in the world will not have sustainable access to food, accounting for about 29.6% of the global population, of which about 9 million people are severely food insecure.
At the same time, the ability of people around the world to obtain a healthy diet has weakened. The report shows that in 2021, more than 3.1 billion people around the world will not be able to afford a healthy diet, accounting for as much as 42%, and the total number of people will increase by 134 million compared with 2019.
Malnutrition is particularly pronounced among children with weaker nutritional intake. According to the report, by 2022, 148.1 million children under the age of five worldwide will be stunted, 45 million will be wasted, and 37 million will be overweight.
As far as child malnutrition is concerned, there are significant differences between urban and rural areas. The report shows that the incidence of stunting among children in rural areas is 35.8%, which is higher than that in urban areas (22.4%). The prevalence of wasting in rural areas was 10.5%, higher than 7.7% in urban areas, and the prevalence of overweight in urban areas was 5.4%, slightly higher than 3.5% in rural areas.
In welcome change, rates of exclusive breastfeeding have steadily increased, with the report showing that 48% of infants under the age of six months benefit from it, approaching the 2025 target. However, we still need to make persistent efforts and work hand in hand to achieve the specific targets for eradicating malnutrition by 2030 as scheduled.
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Urbanization Driving Changes in the Agri-Food System
The report also pointed out that in the world, with the development of society, the process of urbanization is “the general trend”, which directly affects people’s dietary patterns and food structure. With nearly 7 in 10 people projected to live in cities by 2050, governments and other interested parties must proactively capture trends in urbanization as they work to tackle hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition pay attention to.
In particular, it is worth mentioning that the transformational effect of urbanization on the agricultural and food system can no longer be viewed with the simple concept of urban-rural binary division. With the increasingly frequent interpersonal communication and the continuous deepening of urban and rural communication, it is urgent to change our thinking and establish a more three-dimensional perspective of urban and rural radiation areas. For the first time, the report systematically records urbanization changes in 11 countries. The report shows that, in addition to urban households, households in urban-rural radiation areas also spend a relatively high proportion of food purchase expenditure, as do households far away from urban centers. In addition, the report makes new findings that highly processed foods are also gaining popularity in peri-urban and rural areas of some countries.
Unfortunately, spatial inequalities persist, and food insecurity is worse in rural areas. The report shows that moderate or severe food insecurity affects 33 percent of adult residents in rural areas, compared with 26 percent in urban areas.
The report suggests that in order to effectively strengthen food security and improve nutritional status, it is necessary to fully grasp the complex and ever-changing relationship between urban and rural radiation areas and the agricultural and food system, so as to lay the foundation for policy intervention, action and investment.
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How to End Hunger in the Post-pandemic Era
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report is compiled annually by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Program (WFP) and Jointly prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since its inception in 1999, the report has continuously monitored and analyzed the progress of countries around the world in eradicating hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition.
At this year’s report conference, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu pointed out that “the world has entered the post-epidemic era, and the recovery pace of countries is not the same. Already vulnerable groups are even more vulnerable. We cannot go back to the old ways.”
“There is still hope for a world free from hunger. What is missing is investment and political will, but comprehensive policies. We can end hunger if countries put a high priority on it,” said IFAD President Álvaro Lario .”
“Hunger is on the rise and we urgently need resources to protect the most vulnerable,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “Humanity is facing the greatest challenges ever faced. We need the global community’s empathy for the most vulnerable. Take aggressive and effective action to help turn the tide, stop and reduce hunger.”
Regarding child nutrition, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “The high incidence of child wasting remains unresolved, and progress in reducing child overweight has not been achieved. There is an urgent need for targeted public policies, investments and action plans. Building a healthier food environment benefits everyone.”
Beijing News reporter Zhou Huaizong
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2023-07-13 17:03:07
