Many countries in pathway of ‘hurricane of hunger’, warn experts
Food insecurity is a global problem with hyperlocal ramifications, and the world is far off target to resolve it
With the 8-billionth person just born, many countries are in the path of a “hurricane of hunger” and are looking at food systems already creaking under the weight of population growth.
SA is no exception, albeit the country was just ranked the most food-secure nation on the continent.
A recent announcement by The Economist’s Global Food Security Index puts SA at 59 out of 113 countries, up from 70th position last year.
But this comes as little comfort to those who go to bed hungry every night — about 6.5-million, according tostats SAA.
Other African countries are faring far worse: South Sudan, for example, with 75% of its population mired in severe food insecurity, is the worst off it has been since independence in 2011.
President Cyril Ramaphosa this week called for more support from high-income countries.
At the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali, Indonesia, he said: “In Africa, as in many other parts of the developing world, millions of people are going hungry. Global food insecurity is getting worse.
“There are several reasons for this. The recovery from the pandemic has been uneven and inadequate.
“Climate change has increased the frequency and severity of droughts, floods and wildfires, disrupting agricultural production and supply ... Low and middle income economies are most affected by the resultant food shortages and need substantial financial support to ensure food security and to tackle the effects of climate change.”
He said that with this support, such countries can invest in climate-smart agriculture, sustainable food production systems and climate-related early warning systems.
Food insecurity is a global problem with hyperlocal ramifications, and the world is far off target to resolve it.
Deutsche Welle’s Melinda Crane, speaking at the recent Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, said: “Some 830-million people are struggling with food insecurity, and we are further away from the SDG goal of 2015 now than we were then.”
She added: “We are sitting in the path of the hunger hurricane. World hunger has never been more urgent.
“We’re seeing a spike in wheat and corn prices after Russia announced it would be leaving the UN deal [to allow grain and fertiliser to leave Ukraine via the Black Sea]. That sent prices soaring.”
Though Russia has now said it would rejoin the deal, “it was a stark reminder that the world’s food supply is volatile”.
She said agriculture is the “most affected” by the climate crisis but is also a strong driver of it.
Food insecurity plays into an existing poly-crisis of rising cost of living and fallout from the pandemic, resulting in 2022 seeing “unprecedented hunger”.
“How can we avert famine that threatens the lives of 50million people, and how can we sustainably expand food security for all?” asked Crane.
Food Systems for the Future head Ertharin Cousin said: “We are going backwards, and before covid-19d, the challenge we faced was climate and conflict. Those were the two primary drivers of food insecurity. Then covid-19d strikes and lockdowns showed that our food system is efficient but not agile, and food became inaccessible to so many.”
She describes the conflict in Ukraine as the “tipping point for the perfect storm”.
Alex Assanvo, the executive secretary of the Initiative Cacao Ivory Coast-ghana (ICCIG), works with cocoa farmers. He provides a glimpse into the whole food chain: “What we’re seeing on the ground makes it impossible not to admit that it is extremely difficult to live in Ghana. Inflation is more than 40%, and that makes everything expensive. Even the best farmer I know has to choose between buying fertiliser or putting his kids through school.”
He said farmers are constantly scared of losing a competitive advantage but are struggling while global corporations continue to turn record profits. So where to from here? For Assanvo, the solution lies in transparency.
“Everyone has a responsibility. We are facing a lack of transparency. Everyone is buying cocoa, but nobody is mapping the whole chain. We need to incentivise people. For example, those protecting the forests should be rewarded.”
Cousin said if COP27 is the adaptation COP, “it is also the one where governments must meet their financial commitments to the developing world”.
With a strong focus on food security at COP27, head of food system coalition 50by40 Lasse Bruun called for a more holistic approach to food systems.
He said: “The food systems approach differs from conventional or intensive farming in that it takes a holistic view of feeding people. The focus is on nutrition and food security, while including all stakeholders in the supply chain, including farmers, smallholder farmers, traders and consumers. The food systems approach also addresses the socioeconomic and financial aspects of the system.”