The percentage of people experiencing undernourishment and other hunger-related issues has declined in all regions of the world since 1991. There are now some 220 million fewer hungry people than in 1990-92, despite a 1.9 billion increase in the world’s population.
Yes, the number of the world’s hungry has begun to rise again since 2014, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. However, we now know far more about the issue of hunger, its causes, those at the greatest risk, and about how best to intervene. We’re better-equipped than ever before to tackle the issue.
If we seriously choose to do so. One of the biggest challenges to ending hunger today is that there must be action at some of the highest levels of international power. Food aid, Climate Smart Agriculture, and cash vouchers are all incredibly important tools, but until there are policy changes in place to offset the causes of hunger that are bigger than any one person or organization, we won’t see real, sustainable progress.
The world has made great progress in reducing hunger, but there is still a long way to go, and no single organization can achieve Zero Hunger if it works alone. If we want to see a world free of hunger by 2030, governments, citizens, civil society organisations, and the private sector must collaborate to invest, innovate and create lasting solutions.