A first look at the 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report: ending hunger by 2030 remains a challenge
According the 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report released today, we are not on track to achieve the goal of ending global hunger by 2030 (SDG2). The compounding effects of COVID-19 coupled with drivers of food insecurity – conflicts, climate change and economic slowdowns and downturns – have further swerved us from the path. The latest edition of the report estimates that between 720 and 811 million people faced hunger in 2020, an increase of 118 million from 2019 levels of which 46 million more people in Africa, 57 million more in Asia and around 14 million more in LAC region were affected compared to in 2019. The prevalence of undernourishment also rose 1.5 percentage in 2020 alone, with over half of the world’s undernourished inhabiting Asia (418 million) and more than one-third in Africa (282 million).
The pandemic affected women worse than men, forcing 10% more women than men into food insecurity than previous 6% level during 2019. In addition, an estimated 233 million children were affected by stunting, wasting and obesity in 2020. The pandemic affected low-, middle- and high-income countries differently as the percentage of population unable to afford healthy diets remained significantly higher in low- and middle-income countries in contrast to high-income countries.
The report states that it is onerous to eradicate hunger by 2030 unless bold actions are taken to accelerate progress towards addressing unequal access to food. The importance of a systems approach to effective and sustainable policy implementation, successful and inclusive governance mechanisms and institutions, and increased investments in innovative technologies were highlighted as key to tackle the challenge from all ends and move closer to attain SDG2. Check back soon for a detailed analysis on the report.
Read the full report here (https://www.foodsecurityportal.org/resources?topic=317).
Swati Malhotra is a Communications Specialist with IFPRI's Markets, Trade, and Institutions Division (MTID)