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Progress on global hunger has gone into reverse. Nearly 30 per cent of the world’s population faces food insecurity and 42 per cent are unable to afford a healthy diet, according to a new report released on July 2, 2024.
With around 600 million people projected to be facing hunger in 2030, the world’s ‘zero hunger’ goal is further away than ever, according to Food From Somewhere.
The document by global thinktank The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) highlighted how the global food system has been buffeted by the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the escalating climate crisis — and found to be fundamentally lacking in resilience.
The troubling data on world hunger comes as the United Nations will be reviewing stalling progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 (end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture) in its ‘High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)’ to be held from July 8 to July 17, 2024.
The report claims to be the first comprehensive food security assessments since the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that corporate-controlled food supply chains have demonstrated particular vulnerability in the last three years to trade disruptions, climate impacts, and market volatility, while often undermining the livelihoods of small-scale producers.
Instead, localised food supply chains have offered a more resilient and equitable approach to food security.
“These local food webs, or territorial markets, include public markets, street vendors, cooperatives, urban agriculture, and online direct sales, and rely on smaller-scale food producers and vendors serving communities,” said the report.
These localised food supply chains demonstrated benefits for food security — including access to more diverse and nutritious foods, high degrees of resilience and adaptability to shocks, accessible prices, and environmental sustainability.
“The evidence is clear – localised food systems are vital for feeding an increasingly hungry planet and preventing food insecurity and famine. They provide nutritious, affordable food, and are far more adaptable to global shocks and disruptions than industrial supply chains. Bigger is not always better! It’s time for governments to act decisively to use public procurement to bolster sustainable small-scale producers, provide local and regional food markets with the infrastructure they need, and safeguard them from corporate dominance,” said Shalmali Guttal, IPES-Food expert, India.
While corporate chains broke down during the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘territorial markets’ quickly adapted their operations and supply methods to keep communities fed.
“…they support the livelihoods of millions of small-scale producers, sustain diverse food cultures, boost biodiversity, promote community cooperation, and help feed up to 70% of the world’s population while using less than one third of agricultural land and resources,” it said.
However, these food markets were penalised by trade and investment policies and agricultural subsidies, and often lack adequate infrastructure such as sanitation and storage facilities, found the study.
Calling for urgent policy shifts to increase resilience in the face of growing hunger, the IPES-Food panel identified a series of joined-up actions for governments including:
· Redirecting public procurement to support sustainable small-scale producers;
· Shifting subsidies to invest in infrastructure and networks that underpin ‘territorial markets’;
· Protecting local markets from corporate takeover; and
· Encouraging sustainable, biodiverse farming and diverse diets.