According to the 2022 edition of “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) – Repurposing Food and Agricultural Policies to Make Healthy Diets More Affordable”, 2.3 billion people, an estimated 29.3 percent of the global population were moderately or severely food insecure, and 11.7 percent (923.7 million people) faced severe food insecurity.
- The world is running towards to achieve the Zero Hunger target by 2030, the increase in global hunger in 2021 reflects aggravated inequalities across and within countries due to an unequal pattern of economic recovery among countries and unrecovered income losses among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Focus of Report:
- The Report focus on the latest updates of the food security and nutrition situation around the world, including updated estimates on the cost and affordability of a healthy diet.
- This report is on progress towards meeting SDG 2 targets of ending hunger and ensuring access to adequate food for all (SDG Target 2.1) and of eliminating all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2).
Report Authors:
It was authored by five UN agencies viz. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), and World Health Organization (WHO).
Key Points of Reports:-
i.In 2021, 31.9 percent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure compared to 27.6 percent of men, a gap of more than 4 percentage points, compared with 3 percentage points in 2020.
ii.The number of people unable to afford a healthy diet around the world rose by 112 million to almost 3.1 billion, reflecting the impacts of rising consumer food prices during the (COVID-19) pandemic
iii.Worldwide support to food and agriculture accounted for almost USD 630 billion per year on average over 2013–2018.
iv.About USD 111 billion were spent yearly by governments for the provision of general services to the sector, while food consumers received USD 72 billion on average every year
Affected by hunger in 2021
It is estimated that between 702 and 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021.
- The number has grown by about 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic – 103 million more people between 2019 and 2020 and 46 million more in 2021.
- In 2021, hunger affected 278 million people in Africa, 425 million in Asia and 56.5 million in Latin America and the Caribbean – 20.2, 9.1 and 8.6 percent of the population, respectively.
- Projections indicate that 8% of the world’s population i.e. nearly 670 million people will be facing hunger by 2030 as against to UN development goals such as to end the extreme poverty and hunger by 2030.
Data of Malnutrition in 2021
The Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) increased from 8.0 to 9.3 percent between 2019 to 2020 and rose to 9.8 percent in 2021.Also the report estimated that the 670 million people will still be undernourished in 2030 – 8 percent of the world population, which is the same percentage as in 2015 when the 2030 Agenda was launched.
- Globally in 2020, an estimated 22 percent of children under five years of age were stunted, 6.7 percent were wasted, and 5.7 percent were overweight.
- Children in rural settings and poorer households are more vulnerable to stunting and wasting. Children and adults, particularly women, in urban areas and wealthier households are at higher risk of overweight and obesity, respectively.
Points to be noted
- Undernourishment means where food consumption is insufficient to maintain an active and healthy life. It is used to measure hunger.
- Stunting, the condition of being too short for one’s age, undermines the physical and cognitive development of children.
- Child wasting is a life-threatening condition caused by insufficient nutrient intake, poor nutrient absorption, and/or frequent or prolonged illness.
Affordability of a healthy diet in 2020,2021 and 2022
i.By December 2021, the latest available global consumer food price index (food CPI), which is the most relevant food price measure for the cost of a diet, was 11 percent higher compared to December 2020.
- The Ukraine-Russia War, more frequent and extreme climate events are also disrupting supply chains and resulted in more price increases in the first half of 2022.
- Ukraine and Russia together accounted for almost a third of the world’s wheat and barley exports and half of its sunflower oil.
ii.Between 2019 and 2020, the number of people in the world who could not afford a healthy diet increased by 3.8 percent.
- Two regions registered the highest increases: Latin America and the Caribbean (6.5 percent) and Northern America and Europe (5.4 percent).
- Almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020.
About SOFI:
It is an annual flagship report indicating progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. It also provides in-depth analysis on key challenges for achieving this goal in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Recent Related News:
i.According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)’s evidence-based flagship publication, “Global Land Outlook Second Edition(GLO2): Land Restoration for Recovery and Resilience”, if the current trends continue, around 16 million square kilometers of land(the size of South America), which is 11% of the world’s land surface will be degraded by 2050.
ii.The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and partners of the Adaptation Innovation Marketplace (AIM) have announced USD 2.2 million in climate action funding for 22 local innovators spanning 19 countries, including India.
About United Nations (UN):
Establishment– 1945
Secretary-General– António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (9th)
Headquarters– New York, United States
