Asia-Pacific still home to most of world’s undernourished

The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than 60 percent of the roughly 800 million hungry people in the world, 12 percent of which are mostly from Southeast Asia, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its latest report.

FAO launched the 2016 Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Insecurity – Investing in a Zero Hunger Generation that shows the declining progress towards defeating hunger in Asia and the Pacific.

The first post-Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) report of its kind noted that nearly one-in-three children suffer from stunting, a condition where their height is lower than the standard of their age.

The region must double its efforts if it wants to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger by 2030, FAO said.

“The analysis in this report is an eye-opener and a wakeup call to all of us here in Asia and the Pacific,” said Kundhavi Kadiresan, FAO assistant director-general and regional representative.

“To some, the year 2030 may still seem far away, but it’s only 14 years from now and we still have nearly half-a-billion hungry people in this region. That 12 percent represents some of the poorest and hardest to reach people. So the clock is ticking, but with political will and collective action we can reach our goal of zero hunger,” Kadiresan added.

Eradicating hunger also means addressing economic, social and environmental challenges, FAO said.

This is exacerbated by a projected increase in world population to more than nine billion people by 2050.

Zero hunger can be achieved by increasing investment in more efficient production methods and agricultural research.

According to the FAO, most countries in this region are spending too little on agricultural research.

“In order to meet both the zero hunger goal and ensure everyone is well nourished in Asia- Pacific by 2030, we will collectively need to put our money where our mouths are,” she said, adding FAO’s availability to provide technical expertise to help membercountries.