Yes, we can feed the world
The findings of the latest report by Global Hunger Index should not have been a surprise, since many experts have been warning that hunger has become more widespread because of climate change, wars, and soaring inflation. Nevertheless, the severity of global hunger has come as a shock.
Not only does the new report warn of an alarming hunger rate in far too many countries, it also states that decades of progress in tackling hunger in many countries is being eroded. Nearly 830 million people worldwide were found to be undernourished in 2021, 44 countries reported serious or alarming hunger levels, and 20 of these had worse figures than in 2014.
This is not the only report to raise the alarm. Earlier, in May, the Global Report on
Food Crises, published by the UN’s World Food Programme, said a record high of nearly 193 million people in 53 countries were enduring a food crisis — an 80 percent increase compared with 2016.
Both reports warn that the situation is almost certain to become worse in 2023 because of climate change, conflict, and the lingering economic impact of COVID-19.
As dark as the situation may be, it is not yet a lost cause. Despite all these challenges, global food production has been rising, give or take an exceptionally bad year. So the world has enough to feed everyone adequately to overcome hunger and malnutrition.
The challenges, however, are twofold — first, having the right infrastructure to transport food and store it in areas where it is needed, and second making it accessible in terms of affordability.
With the use of technology and better farming techniques to optimize harvests without destroying the soil or causing long-term damage to the environment, it is possible to sustain agricultural production to ensure that everyone receives sufficient food, despite the impact of climate change.
What the world is sorely missing is the right approach to tackle hunger. First, the governments of the affected countries need to admit the problem’s existence and pledge all it takes to tackle the issue as a priority and ensure that everyone receives adequate food. For this, governments must ensure that everyone has access to free or subsidized food that is nutritious and wholesome, rather than just food grains.
These programs are, of course, expensive, and at times beyond the reach of some countries. It is here that the international community must step in to help. Although there is rising awareness of food wastage, the amount of food being wasted in developed countries is still so great that it could provide for millions of people for a year. The developed countries also need to keep up their commitments of contributions to international bodies such as the UN World Food Programme and the numerous charities that run food aid programs.
Hunger can be tackled, but only collectively.