2019 – Posted in: RSTV

Tackling Global Hunger

In News:

Food is the most fundamental need for human beings. Unfortunately, more than 8 hundred million people remain hungry every day.

According to the recent UN report, 10.8% of people do not have food to eat which means 1 in 9 people is facing a hunger crisis on a daily basis. People facing a hunger crisis do not have enough food resources to maintain a healthy and productive life. Further, nearly 2 billion people do not have access to safe and nutritious food. This fact and scores challenge to achieve zero hunger targets of the sustainable development goals by the year 2030.

We are focusing on the recent trends on the hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in the UN report. The reason specified by the UN report, the challenges towards achieving the zero hunger targets by 2030 and how India jumps above on the Global Hunger Index.

Findings of Report

According to the UN report, “State of Food Security and Nutrition” in the world 2019 hunger is increasing in many countries and the economic growth is lagging especially in the middle-income countries and income inequality is rising in many countries where hunger is on the rise making it more difficult for the poor vulnerable and marginalised to cope up with economic slowdowns.

Key findings of the report and urgent steps required to tackle this problem

Over 800 million people suffer from hunger and food insecurity and malnutrition worldwide. According to the United Nations report, “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019, the number of people with not enough food to eat has risen. The rise in hunger has come after a decade when real progress is made. Hunger is on the rise in almost all African sub-regions making Africa highest prevalence under nourishment by almost 20%.

In Asia, under nourishment affects 11% population whereas Western Asia shows the continuous increase with more than 12% of its population under nourished. Almost Southern Asia still saw great progress over the last 5 years; it still has highest prevalence of under nourishment. Latin America, Caribbean hunger is still below 7% but is slowly increasing. Hunger is increasing in many countries where economic growth is lagging particularly in those countries that rely heavily on the primary commodity trade.

In the index, counties which have very poor agriculture, large population there is conflict. Somalia, Southern Sulan, Eriteria- these are the countries where there is ongoing conflict with its poor agriculture. Africa is most affected by food hunger.

338 million school-age children and adolescents are overweight, while 672 million adults are obsessed; Asian Africa has 9 out of 10 stunted children, Asia-Africa home to nearly three-quarter of overweight children across the world. The report says that since 2012, no progress has been made in reducing low-birth rate. In 2015, one in 7 babies was born with low birth weight worldwide.

According to the UN report, the 17.2% of world’s population lacks regular access to nutritious and sufficient food. Even if there are not necessarily sufferings from hunger, they are at a greater risk of various forms of malnutrition and poor health.

Approx 1024 million people suffer acute hunger, a striking million 2 years ago. While the reality of hunger continues to have massive impact on the next generation.

The Global Hunger Index ranks countries on the basis of 4 indicators

Undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting and child stunting.

Child wasting refers to the share of children under the age of 5 who have low weight for their height reflecting acute under nutrition. Worldwide the level of hunger and nutrition falls into the category with the GHI score of 29.9 , this is down from 29.2 in 2000. This improvement is based on the reductions in each of the 4 indicators. India is ranked below many neighbouring countries including China (25), Nepal (72), Myanmar (68), Sri Lanka (67), and Bangladesh (86), Pakistan is at 106 positions. Hunger varies enormously region by region.

The 2018 GHI scores of the South Asia and Africa South at the Sahara is 30.5 and 29.4 respectively reflecting the serious levels of hunger. The Central African Republic suffers from an extremely alarming level of hunger. Six countries Chad, Haiti, Madagascar, Sierra, Leone, Yemen, and Zambia suffer levels are also alarming. Forty-five of 119 countries have serious levels of hunger.

Haiti, Zimbabwe, and CAR have the highest rate of undernourishment ranging between 45.8 and 61.8%.

Stunting is highest in Timor-Leste, Eritrea, and Burundi with at least half of the children suffering stunting in each country.

Wasting is most prevalent in Djibouti, India, and South Sudan with at 16.7%, 21.0% and 28.6% respectively.

Finally, the highest under mortality rates are: Somalia (13.3%), Chad (12.7%), and CAR (12.4%).

GHI includes 27 countries with moderate levels of hunger and 40 countries with low levels of hunger.

Globally hunger affects an estimated 68.5 million displaced peoples including 40.0 million internally displaced peoples, 25.4 million refugees and 3.1 million asylum seekers. For these peoples, hunger is both the cause and consequence of migration.

The share of population that is undernourished stands at 12.3% as of 2015-2017 downs from 17.6% in 2001. Of children under five, 27.9% are stunted in 2013-2017 down from 37.1% in 1998-2002. And 9.3% are wasted down slightly from 9.7% in 1998 to 2002. Finally, the under-five mortality rate was 5.2% as of 2016 down from 8.1% in 2000.

Challenges to Tackle Hunger

Recognising and addressing hunger and displacement as political problems
Developing holistic approaches to protracted displacement settings
Providing support to food insecure displaced people in their regions of origin

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