Global Food Crisis Looms: UNSDGs GOAL 2 at Risk

Strategic Insights -

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Report warns that the world is on the verge of a global food crisis, with over 828 million people suffering from hunger in 2021. Climate change, conflicts, and widening inequalities are exacerbating the issue, posing a significant threat to global food supply chain systems. The report highlights the urgent need to reverse the trend of increasing hunger and food insecurity, particularly among the poorest and most vulnerable populations. GOAL 2, Zero Hunger, aims to end hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food for all by 2030, but the current statistics suggest a significant rise in hunger and malnutrition worldwide.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over 828 million people suffered from hunger in 2021, a figure expected to rise if efforts are not made to reverse the trend.
  • The outbreak of war in Ukraine poses an additional threat to food insecurity, with the potential to provoke a surge in levels of hunger and malnutrition.
  • The UN aims to achieve the targets of GOAL 2 by 2030, including:

+ Ending hunger and ensuring access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food for all.

+ Ending all forms of malnutrition, including achieving the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under five years of age.

+ Doubling the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, including women, indigenous peoples, and family farmers.

  • Statistics from the UNSDG report (2022) show that:

+ Between 720 million to 811 million people around the globe faced malnutrition in 2020, an increase of 161 million from 2019.

+ 2.4 billion people (approximately 30%) of the world population faced moderate or severe food insecurity due to a lack of nutritious meals in 2020.

+ 320 million people were added to the population facing severe food insecurity in just one year.

  • The COVID-19 pandemic and soaring food prices have exacerbated all forms of malnutrition, leading to a loss of household income, reduced physical activity, and disruptions in essential nutrition services.
  • Supply chain disruptions due to the Ukraine war have led to rising grain costs, sunflower seeds, and fertilizers, placing countries that rely on imports at a greater risk of inadequate access to food supplies.
  • Food costs have increased significantly in the last year, on average, by approximately 30%, globally.
  • The UN Secretary-General warns that rising food inflation could put global food security at risk, leading to hunger and malnutrition for countless people.

Statistics:

  • Over 828 million people suffered from hunger in 2021.
  • Between 720 million to 811 million people around the globe faced malnutrition in 2020, an increase of 161 million from 2019.
  • 2.4 billion people (approximately 30%) of the world population faced moderate or severe food insecurity due to a lack of nutritious meals in 2020.
  • 320 million people were added to the population facing severe food insecurity in just one year.
  • Food costs have increased significantly in the last year, on average, by approximately 30%, globally.
  • Countries facing high food prices have surged from 16% to 47% between 2019 and 2020.

Sources:

  • United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report
  • Onyango et al. (2023) - "COVID-19 and Urban Food Security in Ghana during the Third Wave"
  • World Food Programme report