Number of people suffering from hunger increasing, UN report

Number of people suffering from hunger increasing, UN report

News:

1. UN  has released report, “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” to highlight undernutrition and hunger in the world.

Important Facts:

2. The report has been jointly prepared by UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, World Food Programme, World Health Organisation and UN Children Fund.

3. Key Findings

• Hunger- starved people climbed 8 year high since 2009 to 821 million  in 2017.
• Under nutrition and food insecurity increased since 2014 in all parts of Europe and North America.
• Hunger is worse in countries where agriculture is highly sensitive to severe drought and where high share of population depends on farming.
• Conflict in nations like Yemen and economic crises in countries like Venezuela have restricted people’s access to food.
• 151 million children aged under 5  are stunted due to malnutrition in 2017, compared to 165 million in 2012.
• Globally, Africa and Asia accounted for 39% and 55%  of all stunted children, respectively.
• One in three women of reproductive age globally is affected by anaemia and no region has shown a decline in this.
• Less than half  ( 40.7%) of the percentage of infants aged below 6 months were exclusively breastfed.
• Adult obesity is worsening and  is more significant in North America, but Africa and Asia are also experiencing an upward trend.

4. Key drivers behind the rise in hunger:

• Climate variability affecting rainfall patterns and agricultural seasons.
• Climate extremes such as droughts and floods where high share of population depends on farming.
• Conflicts and economic slowdown in countries.
• Difficulty in sourcing nutritious food resulting in obesity.

5. Way Forward:

• Urgent local and global action to address the multiple forms of malnutrition to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 2 ) of Zero Hunger by 2030.
• Leaders must redouble efforts to cut the use of fossil fuels
• Commit funds to help poor countries adapt to climate crises.
• Policies must pay special attention to vulnerable groups like infants, school-aged children, and women.
• Sustainable shift  towards nutrition-sensitive agriculture.