Related Articles
The number of people exposed to global hunger increased to about 828 million people in 2021, an increase of about 46 million people since 2020, and 150 million people since the outbreak of the “Covid-19” pandemic, according to the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the state of food security and nutrition in the world.
Deteriorating economic conditions around the world and the loss of income caused by the global turmoil linked to the COVID-19 virus and the war in Ukraine have made getting more nutritious foods more difficult and more expensive than at any time in the past seven years. For many middle- and low-income countries, the situation is even worse.
The hungry are getting hungry
By the end of this decade, about 8% of the world’s population (about 670 million people) will still suffer from some form of hunger, even if a global economic recovery is achieved, the report explains, adding that “with eight years left to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition.” The world is going in the wrong direction.”
Despite the sharp rise in moderate and severe food insecurity globally in 2020, these levels remained mostly stable throughout 2021. However, acute food insecurity rose by about 2.4 percentage points, affecting 11.7% of the world’s population during the period from 2019. to 2021, indicating that those already suffering from poor food security face a worsening situation.
Most of the suffering is concentrated in Africa
The number of people exposed to hunger in Africa is expected to rise significantly from about 280 million in 2021 to about 310.7 million by 2030, according to the report.
Last year, the rate of moderate or severe food insecurity increased sharply in Africa, which was already home to the highest levels of moderate and severe food insecurity, which reached 34% in 2021, up from 30% in 2020.
The pandemic and war in Ukraine has had a particularly severe impact on food security globally, with the COVID-19 outbreak alone estimated to be responsible for leaving 78 million people affected by hunger by 2030 compared to a scenario without a pandemic, the report found.
The war in Ukraine, which is not yet accounted for in FAO data for the 2022 edition of the report, is likely to have “multiple effects on world agricultural markets through trade, production and prices, casting a shadow over the food security and nutrition status of many countries in the near future.” “.
There are a range of reasons why we cannot end hunger, and the main drivers of food insecurity are a combination of climate extremes caused by climate change, armed conflict, economic crises and pre-existing inequalities, according to the report.
The situation is more difficult in food-importing countries
Food-importing countries such as Egypt, which, for example, depended on Russia and Ukraine for more than 80% of imported wheat, felt the crisis caused by the war.
The slowdown in grain shipments and skyrocketing prices forced Egypt to find new import markets and rely more on local agricultural production to ensure an uninterrupted supply of basic commodities.
The results of this turmoil were harsh on the state budget, which caused an addition of 15 billion pounds to the country’s import bill in the last quarter of the 2022/2021 fiscal year, and could witness an additional 10.2 billion dollars in the next fiscal year. Despite the government’s attempts to bear part of these costs, citizens have come under increasing pressure due to rising food costs.
Despite the decline in food prices for the fourth consecutive month in July with lower prices for cereals and vegetable oils, food prices are still unprecedentedly high by historical standards.
The July reading was the sixth highest since the inception of the FAO index in 1990, and is 13% higher than the previous year in July 2021.
There is still potential to change course, but low-income countries, as well as in some lower-middle-income countries where the agriculture sector is central to the economy, jobs and livelihoods, need to increase spending and prioritize the provision of services that collectively support food and agriculture,” the report says.
Part of that means adjusting subsidies to consumers rather than producers, the report explains. Putting in place border measures, market price controls and expanding public support for agriculture globally would also help make healthy diets affordable around the world.
