Do we have the hunger to end hunger?

“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” – Nelson Mandela

ACHIEVING the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger is an extremely complex task, but not an impossible one.

According to the UN, the proportion of undernourished people worldwide increased from 10.6% of the total population in 2015 to 11% in 2016.

This means there were an estimated 815 million undernourished people worldwide in 2016.

Statistics South Africa reports that the number of people in the country living in extreme poverty – i.e. below the 2015 food poverty line of R441 per person per month – increased from 11 million in 2011 to 13.8 million in 2015. This is despite the fact that, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the world produces enough to feed the entire global population.

The African continent, in particular, is trapped in the hunger cycle. For a family, community and nation at large to be innovative and productive, access to basic food and nutrition is essential. Breaking the hunger cycle requires systematic and transformative interventions.

You don’t have to look far to witness hunger. Having two meals a day seems normal in a fast-paced city like Johannesburg, yet most people who enjoy such luxury are oblivious to the fact that someone down the street has gone for days without a meal.

Without mechanisms to cushion farmers on the continent from unpredictable weather conditions such as floods, drought or unevenly spread rainfall, the majority of people who depend on these farmers will continue to be affected by hunger.

Systems analysis offers new approaches that involve developing locally relevant solutions informed by a multitude of disciplines and expertise working together towards a common goal.

Applying systems analysis involves taking a multifaceted approach to understanding links in the food system and identifying actions that can increase access to nutritious food.

This integrated approach allows for investigation at the nexus of hunger challenges, enabling synergies and trade-offs among potential solutions to be considered and implemented.

Over the past decade, South Africa, working closely with its partners, has made significant investments in developing the systems analysis skills needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

This has mostly been through the Southern African Young Scientists Summer, the Southern African Systems Analysis Centre, and South Africa’s participation in numerous collaborative research projects.

Effective collaborations will add significant value if leveraged to implement sustainable multi-layered, multi-year, multi-country strategic programmes directed at ending hunger.

Achieving this objective will require the implementation of tangible solutions that make a difference and create opportunities for local communities, especially the youth and women.