Even with today’s global food production capable of feeding everyone, hunger persists and even increases in some areas. While some progress has been made in reducing hunger in Asia and Latin America, many regions, particularly in Africa, are facing critical food crises.
UN agencies use specific terms to define the different levels of food scarcity, including hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition. Let’s clarify what these terms mean and examine the challenges they represent.
Understanding Hunger and Food Insecurity
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines hunger as an uncomfortable or painful physical sensation caused by insufficient dietary energy consumption. This sensation becomes chronic when a person doesn’t consume enough calories regularly for a normal, active, and healthy life.
Food insecurity, on the other hand, occurs when people lack consistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for normal growth, development, and an active, healthy life. This can stem from food unavailability or a lack of resources to obtain food. Food insecurity varies in severity, from mild to severe.
Malnutrition encompasses both undernutrition and its opposite, overweight and obesity, both of which are significant and coexisting global trends. Undernutrition in children can lead to stunting (insufficient height for age) and wasting (insufficient weight for height). Stunting reflects chronic nutritional deficiency, while wasting indicates acute nutritional deficiency.
The Interplay Between Hunger and Food Insecurity
Severe food insecurity means a person has run out of food and gone a day or more without eating, according to the UN. Even moderate food insecurity is concerning, as it means acquiring food is unpredictable. People might sacrifice other basic needs to eat and consume whatever is cheapest or most readily available, even if it’s not nutritious.
The rise in obesity and other forms of malnutrition is partly due to this, with highly processed foods being energy-dense, high in saturated fats, sugars, and salt, and often more affordable and accessible than fresh produce. While these foods provide enough calories, they can lack essential nutrients for healthy bodily functions. Furthermore, uncertain food access and periods without eating can cause significant physiological changes.
The FAO warns that children experiencing hunger, food insecurity, and undernutrition face a higher risk of developing chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and other health issues later in life.
The Dire Food Security and Nutrition Situation in 2023
According to the 2024 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, between 713 and 757 million people faced hunger in 2023 – about one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa. The report also highlights that 2.33 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, and 900 million faced severe food insecurity. Over 3.1 billion people couldn’t afford a healthy diet, and many children under five suffer from malnutrition. Exclusive breastfeeding has improved, but more effort is needed to meet malnutrition targets by 2030.
Understanding the Rural-Urban Divide
The report emphasizes the impact of urbanization on agrifood systems, with almost seven in ten people projected to live in cities by 2050. Governments and policymakers need to address urbanization’s effects on food security, hunger, and malnutrition. While food insecurity affects more people in rural areas, consumption of highly processed foods is increasing in peri-urban and rural areas.
Children’s malnutrition also presents urban and rural specificities: child stunting is more prevalent in rural areas, as is wasting. Conversely, overweight is slightly more prevalent in urban areas.
Sustainable Development Goals and Food Security
Food is central to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN’s development agenda for the 21st century. SDG 2 aims to “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.” Achieving this goal by 2030 requires a profound transformation of the global food and agriculture system. Key components of this goal include:
- Ending hunger and ensuring access to safe, nutritious food for all.
- Ending all forms of malnutrition.
- Doubling the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers.
- Ensuring sustainable food production systems.
- Increasing investment in agriculture.
- Correcting and preventing trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets.
- Adopting measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets.
Key Facts and Figures on Hunger and Nutrition
- Global hunger rose sharply from 2019 to 2021 and remained at the same level in 2023, affecting over 9 percent of the world’s population.
- Over 582 million people are projected to be chronically undernourished by 2030, with more than half of them in Africa.
- In 2022, over a third of rural adults experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, compared to 29.9% in peri-urban and 25.5% in urban areas.
- The global gender gap in food insecurity decreased from 2.3 to 1.3 percentage points between 2022 and 2023.
- Urbanization challenges include the availability of unhealthy fast food, lack of fresh produce, exclusion of small farmers, and loss of natural capital due to urban expansion.
Overcoming the Challenges
Addressing these significant food challenges requires a multi-faceted approach involving governments, international organizations, businesses, and individuals. Promoting sustainable agriculture, investing in rural development, reducing food waste, and improving access to nutritious foods are crucial steps. Furthermore, addressing inequalities and empowering vulnerable populations are essential to achieving global food security. Only through concerted efforts can we hope to create a world where everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.
