# data[].attributes.body
What specific strategies and interventions are being implemented by organizations like the U.N. World Food Programme to address the cycle of conflict and hunger?

# data[].attributes.body
Hunger is on the rise in several regions: Middle Africa (31.8%), East Africa (28.1%), Western Africa (18.7%), the Caribbean (16.1%), and Southern Asia (15.8%). Countries like Haiti and Sudan face severe hunger due to conflict and economic issues.

# data[].attributes.body
I am very interested in contributing to the long term goal of everyone worldwide having food steadily available to them as I think everyone should be able to go to sleep at night without being hungry.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
World Day to Combat Desertification 2015

The World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) is observed worldwide on 17 June every year. The focus this year is "attainment of food security for all through sustainable food systems." With the slogan, 'No such thing as a free lunch. Invest in healthy soil', the 2015 observance calls for: (1)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As the world population continues to grow, much more effort and innovation will be urgently needed in order to sustainably increase agricultural production, improve the global supply chain, decrease food losses and waste, and ensure that all who are suffering from hunger and malnutrition have access to nutritious food.

# data[].attributes.body
Zero stunted children under the age of two

100% access to adequate food all year round

All food systems are sustainable

100% increase in smallholder productivity and income

Zero loss or waste of food

# data[].attributes.body
I think I want to research the issue/ goal of solving world hunger, which must be addressed to reach SDG #2. I will focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and fixing climate change to do so. I want to research this because hunger is an on-going, long-term global goal that we have collectively struggled with to finally fix along with many other goals. Solving world hunger is and always has been a very important goal for the world and to me as well because I genuinely believe everyone deserves to have food on their plate every night and there is no excuse for them not to when there is so much food in the world and so many places, including the US, with the resources to harvest and distribute it.

# data[].attributes.headline
Potential solution 1: Breaking the Cycle

# data[].attributes.subject
Potential solution 1: Breaking the Cycle

# data[].attributes.body
Almost 60% of the world's hungriest people live in areas affected by conflict, making it the biggest barrier to ending hunger. Conflict and hunger create a harmful cycle; when war breaks out, people struggle to obtain food, leading to more instability and social unrest. The U. N. World Food Programme works in the toughest environments, providing essential food and cash assistance, offering school meals to keep children learning, and helping to rebuild communities. In 2020, the program won the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to fight hunger and promote peace in conflict zones. This award highlights the vital connection between conflict and hunger, emphasizing the importance of food aid for peace and stability.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to End World Hunger: 6 Solutions for Zero Hunger - World Food Program USA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The world faces the largest global food crisis in modern history. That's why these six Zero Hunger solutions are more important than ever.

# data[].attributes.headline
Lack of funding and access risks a heavy cost 

# data[].attributes.subject
Lack of funding and access risks a heavy cost 

# data[].attributes.body
Severe funding shortfalls are forcing WFP to scale back assistance and refocus efforts on the most severe needs. With persistent access constraints also hampering support, some of the most vulnerable people are being left behind.

Unless resources are made available and unrestricted access granted, lost lives and the reversal of hard-earned development gains will be the price to pay.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A global food crisis | World Food Programme

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
2023: Another year of extreme jeopardy for those struggling to feed their families

# data[].attributes.headline
Science Daily - Can hunger be eradicated by 2030?

# data[].attributes.subject
Science Daily - Can hunger be eradicated by 2030?

# data[].attributes.body
The issue of global hunger is escalating at a concerning pace, driven by ongoing conflicts, climate change, and the impacts of COVID-19. In 2022, the World Food Programme provided assistance to an unprecedented 158 million individuals. Given this trend, the United Nations' objective of eliminating hunger by 2030 seems more and more out of reach.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
World hunger is growing at an alarming rate, with prolonged conflicts, climate change, and COVID-19 exacerbating the problem. In 2022, the World Food Programme helped a record 158 million people. On this trajectory, the United Nations' goal to eradicate hunger by 2030 appears increasingly unattainable.

# data[].attributes.body
In 2023, 1 in 5 people in Africa faced hunger, compared to 1 in 11 globally. By 2030, 582 million people may be undernourished, mostly in Africa. In 2024, Mali, South Sudan, and Sudan will experience severe food insecurity, affecting 1.9 million globally. Famine is confirmed in northern Sudan’s Zamzam camp.

# data[].attributes.body
Ensuring families have enough safe and nutritious food is crucial for a better future. A world with zero hunger enhances economies, health, education, and equality, supporting overall development.

# data[].attributes.body
People living in poverty

Young children

Women

Most marginalized in communities

People in conflict settings

Refugees + displaced people

# data[].attributes.body
At the 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), global leaders reaffirmed the entitlement of all individuals to access safe and nutritious food, in alignment with the right to adequate food and the essential right of every person to be free from hunger. The Zero Hunger Challenge, initiated by the UN Secretary-General at Rio+20, urged governments, civil society, faith-based organizations, the private sector, and research institutions to collaborate in the effort to eradicate hunger and eliminate the most severe forms of malnutrition. This is an extremely important issue that is significant to the world and to me, too. It's good to see that actions are being taken but there's more that needs to continue to be done.

# data[].attributes.body
In 2019, over 690 million people were undernourished, mainly in Asia and Africa. By 2030, this number may rise to 840 million. This is not good whatsoever. We were supposed to be progressing further, not backwards. 2030 is a common goal year for many aspects of world issues to improve by. So far, our progress seems to be deteriorating/ declining. More needs to be done about this, and soon.

# data[].attributes.body
Asia has more hungry people and malnourished children than Africa, largely due to its larger population. As of 2017, 64% of malnourished children worldwide lived in Asia, and around 520 million people in Asia consume too few calories. More than half of all stunted children under five were in Asia, which also had over two-thirds of wasted children under five. Southern Asia, including countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India, had the highest hunger levels and undernourishment rates in the region. Despite these challenges, there have been improvements in child stunting rates in India and a decrease in Southern Asia's Global Hunger Index score since 1992.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is the extent of hunger in Asia?

Although Africa is frequently presented as the center of world hunger, Asia has always had more hungry people and more malnourished children, because Asia has so many more people.

64% of all malnourished children in the world live in Asia (FAO, 2017).

519.6 million adults and children in Asia consume too few calories, which accounts for about 12% of the total population of Asia (FAO, 2017).

More than half of all stunted children under 5 lived in Asia in 2017 (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group, 2018).

In 2017, Asia accounted for more than two thirds of all wasted children under 5 (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group, 2018).

Southern Asia had the highest Global Hunger Index (GHI) score of 30.9, indicating serious levels of hunger (Global Hunger Index, 2017).

Southern Asia has the highest rate (14.7%) of undernourishment and the most numbers of the hungry in Asia. This region includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India, among others (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group, 2018).

However, there has been progress in Asia:

In 2017, Southern Asia's GHI score decreased 15.4 points from its 1992 score.

India has made progress in decreasing its child stunting rate. Since 1992, child stunting rates have decreased by 23.5% (Global Hunger Index, 2017). India has a very large population size, so changes there have a strong influence on Southern Asia's GHI score.

To learn more about the differences between hunger and malnutrition, as well as the difference between over- and under-nutrition, see our related fact sheet on Hunger and Nutrition.
Figure 1. Prevalence of undernourishment in the population (percent) in 2014-16.
Source: Reproduced from FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO.
Figure 2. Prevalence of undernutrition across different regions of Asia
Source: FAO, 2017
Figure 3. Prevalence of stunting and wasting in Asia
Source: (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank, 2018)

Stunting

Stunting is the result of a biological process where children do not grow to reach their theoretical potential. It is recognized as one of the most significant impediments to human development and has long-lasting health and cognitive impacts. Stunting is the result of prolonged inadequate nutrition and repeated infection during the first two years of life.

There are 150.8 million stunted children in the world.

Approximately 83.6 million, or 55%, of stunted children live in Asia (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group, 2018).

India has the largest number of stunted children in the world. It is estimated that 38%, or 46.8 million, of all the children in India are affected by stunting. This is about one-third of the global total of stunted children (UNICEF).

On a positive note, child stunting rates in India have decreased by 23.5% since 1992 (Global Hunger Index, 2017).

Wasting

Wasting, defined as low weight for height, can be the result of famine or other severe food shortages. Wasted children often appear very thin and lack the energy to laugh and play. Stunting and wasting are very closely tied with other health indicators. Together, health and nutrition determine the growth trajectory of a child. A child with poor health will not have the same appetite as a healthy child. That child will not be able to absorb the same amount of nutrients from the food they do eat, because much of their bodily energy will be directed towards fighting off illness. Similarly, a malnourished child will be much more susceptible to disease, particularly if they have micronutrient deficiencies.

In 2017, more than two-thirds of all wasted children under 5 years of age lived in Asia. This represents approximately 35 million children (UNCEF/WHO/World Bank Group, 2018).

Wasting in Southern Asia is considered a critical public health emergency. More than half of all wasted children in the world live in Southern Asia.

The highest prevalence of wasting in Asia is in India, at 26%; this is the highest rate in the world (FAO, 2017).

Micronutrient deficiencies
Figure 3. The cycle of micronutrient inadequacies across the life span. Reproduced from Bailey, R.L. et al.
Micronutrient deficiencies are the result of inadequate amounts of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet. This is different from protein-energy malnutrition, which is the result of inadequate calories in the diet. Three of the most significant micronutrient deficiencies in the developing world are vitamin A deficiency, zinc deficiency, and iron deficiency (which is usually called anemia). All these deficiencies can be resolved through supplementation programs; in a number of Asian countries, they remain a public health risk (Source: WHO, UNICEF, and Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 2017).

Vitamin A

Vitamin A deficiency is associated with blindness, child mortality, and maternal mortality.

In South Asia, 44-50% of preschool-aged children have severe vitamin A deficiency.

In 2006, 30% of pregnant women in Pakistan were thought to be vitamin A deficient.

In Pakistan, 9.4% of the population suffers from night blindness.

In Pakistan, 60% of all deaths among children under the age of five could be attributed to health complications due to vitamin A deficiency.

In India, nearly 62% of preschool-aged children are deficient in vitamin A.

In Bangladesh, 51% of pregnant women consume a diet too low in Vitamin A, and 18.5% of pregnant women exhibit clinical symptoms of vitamin A deficiency (Akhtar, Ismail, Atukorala, Arlappa, 2013).

Zinc

Zinc deficiency is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality.

Nearly 800,000 deaths per year among children under five years of age are the result of zinc deficiency.

Zinc deficiency increases mortality associated with infections.

Zinc deficiency in early pregnancy has been associated with complications in pregnancy outcomes at later stages.

The prevalence of zinc deficiency among preschool-aged children in five states in India was 44%, 50% among adolescent girls in Delhi, and 52% among non-pregnant women of central India (Akhtar et al., 2013).

Deficiency of Iron Consumption and Anemia

Anemia is a condition characterized by a lack of hemoglobin (iron-bearing molecules) in the bloodstream. Hemoglobin is necessary to carry oxygen to cells throughout the body. Anemia is often caused by an inadequate consumption of iron from the diet. Iron deficient anemia is known to slow brain development in children and is a key predictor of morbidity and mortality.

In pregnancy, anemia can increase the risk of maternal and child mortality, complications during childbirth, and poor fetal development.

In 2016, the prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age in Asia was 36.6% (FAO, 2017).

In India, a national health survey suggests that the prevalence of anemia in adolescent girls (15-19 yrs.), is 56% (Kumari, Bharti, Raushan, Kalpana, Archana, Sudhir, Anand, Kumar, 2017).

In Pakistan, Anemia affects 91% of pregnant women and 65% children under the age of five.

In Bangladesh, 40% of adolescent girls were found to be anemic.

Across South Asia, it is estimated that 25,000 women die in childbirth due in part to severe anemia (Akhtar et al., 2013).

Causes of malnutrition in Asia

Malnutrition is defined as any disorder of nutrition. It may result from an unbalanced, insufficient, or excessive diet, or from impaired absorption, assimilation, or use of foods. Overnutrition, a condition of excess nutrient and energy intake over time, may be regarded as a form of malnutrition when it leads to morbid obesity. Undernutrition is a condition of malnutrition caused by an inadequate food supply or an inability to use the nutrients in food (definitions from Mosby Medical Dictionary 2009; also see Hunger and Nutrition Factsheet)

Sanitation and hygiene

Poor and insufficient sanitation and hygiene practices, such as those found in many parts of Asia, can increase the spread of disease and infection.

Lack of water, poor sanitation, and hygiene practices may cause up to 50% of all child malnourishment.

Every year there are 2.5 billion cases of diarrhea in children under 5 - this causes key nutrients to be lost from the body.

The risk of bacterial infection is increased due to the 523 million people in India defecating in the open (UNICEF).

Changing diets and obesity

Across Asia, the availability of highly processed foods has increased drastically. These foods are high in calories, but low in nutrients, and may not be fortified.

Consumption of these processed foods by adults and children has led to the rise of overnutrition, which is a cause of obesity.

Traditional diet staples, such as hardy millets, contain large amounts of protein, fiber, and essential minerals. These staple grains have been replaced by processed rice and wheat flours, which are very low in vitamins and minerals but high in carbohydrates. This contributes both to a rise in overweight individuals, and a decline of protein consumption.

In one household there may be both obese individuals and undernourished individuals, each with micronutrient deficiencies. This is known as "triple-burden" malnutrition and is a growing problem in Asia.

In Asia, 17.5 million individuals are defined as being overweight, with the largest numbers found in Southern Asia (5.4 million) (UNCEF/WHO/World Bank Group, 2018).

Gender inequality

In several Asian countries, women do not have access to the same education, healthcare, or information technology as men. Women are often the primary care-takers of children, but they are inadequately informed about how to care for their own health and the nutrition needs of their children; they may also have little say in the economic activities of their household.

Increased female education and empowerment has been shown to significantly improve child nutrition and child health outcomes (Pappachan, Binu, Choonara, 2017).

Urban versus rural malnutrition

In Asia, people living in rural environments are more likely to be malnourished than those in urban environments, especially children (International Institute for Population Sciences, 2017).

In 2016, 31% of children (under age five) in India's urban areas were stunted, while 41% of rural children were stunted. Additionally, 20% of children in urban areas were wasted, while 21.5% of rural children were wasted (International Institute for Population Sciences, 2017).

This could be due to a variety of factors. The factors that are statistically associated with better nutrition in urban areas are:

Maternal education: It is more likely that an urban mother will have a secondary education and will have higher decision-making power in her household.

Hygiene and sanitation: The urban household is more likely to have access to and use a flush toilet, as opposed to open defecation or a pit latrine.

Economic status: Urban families also tend to have a better economic status than rural families (Srinivasan, Zanello, Shankar, 2013).

(Primary Author: Kathryn Merckel, PhD student, Nutrition, Cornell University November 2, 2015; Updated September 5, 2018 by Chelsea Kennard, Cornell University, Nutritional Science, BSc 2018.)
Bibliography

Akhtar, S., Ismail, T., Atukorala, S., & Arlappa, N. (2013). Micronutrient deficiencies in South Asia - Current status and strategies. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 31(1), 55-62. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2013.02.005

Bailey, R.L., West, K.P., Jr., and Black, R.E. (2015). The epidemiology of global micronutrient deficiencies. Ann. Nutr. Metab., 66, 22-33.

FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO. (2017). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017. Building resilience for peace and food security. Rome, FAO. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/a-I7695e.pdf.

International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Macro International. (2017). National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3). Mumbai.

Hess, Sonja Y. (2017). National Risk of Zinc Deficiency as Estimated by National Surveys. Food and Nutrition Bulletin. 2017 March 1; Volume: 38 issue: 1, page(s): 3-17. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0379572116689000

Kumari, R., Bharti, K., Raushan, S., Kalpana, S., Archana, K., Sudhir, S., Anand, S., and Kumar, U. (2017). Prevalence of Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Adolescent Girls in a Tertiary Care Hospital. J Clin Diagn Res. 2017 Aug; 11(8):BC04-BC06. Doi:10.7860/JCDR/2017/26163.10325. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5620749/

Pappachan, Binu and Choonara, Imti. (2017). Inequalities in Child Health in India. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2017 Aug 4; 1 (1):e000054. Doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2017-000054. eCollection.

Srinivasan, C., Zanello, G., and Shankar B. (2013). Rural-urban disparities in child nutrition in Bangladesh and Nepal. BMC Public Health. 13:581. Doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-581.

UNICEF. India. Accessed 10 Aug 2018. Retrieved from http://unicef.in/

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. (2018). Levels and trends in child malnutrition: key findings of the 2018 Edition of the Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Von Grebmer, K., Bernstein, J., Hossain, N., Brown, T., Prasai, N., Yohannes, Y., Patterson, F., Sonntag, A., Zimmermann, S., Towey, O., and Foley, C. (2017). 2017 Global Hunger Index: The Inequalities of Hunger. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute; Bonn: Welthungerhilfe; and Dublin: Concern Worldwide.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Asia Hunger Facts, Facts About Hunger in Asia - World Hunger News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Although Africa is frequently presented as the center of world hunger, Asia has always had more hungry people and more malnourished children, because Asia has so many more people. 64% of all malnourished children in the world live in Asia (FAO, 2017).

# data[].attributes.body
Since the conflict in Ukraine started in February 2022, many families have fled their homes, increasing humanitarian needs. France has over 9 million people below the poverty line, Italy faces growing vulnerability, and Armenia's issues stem from instability, climate change, and inequalities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Europe | Action Against Hunger - Global Hunger Relief

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We work in several countries in Europe, where the war in Ukraine has caused a humanitarian crisis.

# data[].attributes.body
In 2022, 247.8 million people in the region faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a decrease of 16.5 million from 2021. Over a third (36.4%) of South Americans, 34.5% of Mesoamericans, and 60.6% of people in the Caribbean experienced this issue, with Mesoamerica seeing a slight increase of 1.3 million in affected individuals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Regional Overview 2023 indicates that, despite halting the upward trend in the last period, hunger levels in the region remain above the 2019 figures prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. In addition, 8.6% of children under five years of age are overweight.
Santiago, Chile, November 9, 2023- The new United Nations report, Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023, states that 6.5% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean suffers from hunger, or 43.2 million people.

Although this figure represents a slight improvement of 0.5 percentage points over the previous measurement, the prevalence of hunger in the region is still 0.9 percentage points above the 2019 records prior to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Moreover, the scenario is disparate at the sub-regional level. In South America, the number of hungry people declined by 3.5 million between 2021 and 2022. However, there are 6 million additional undernourished people compared to the pre-COVID-19 scenario.

In Mesoamerica, 9.1 million people were hungry in 2022, which means a prevalence of 5.1%. This figure does not reflect any significant variation from the previous measurement.

The scenario is different in the Caribbean. In this subregion, 7.2 million people experienced hunger in 2022, with a prevalence of 16.3%. Compared to 2021, this number increased by 700,000. Between 2019 and 2022, the increase was one million people, with the highest prevalence in Haiti.

"The hunger figures in our region continue to be worrying. We see how we are moving further and further away from meeting the 2030 agenda, and we have not yet managed to improve the figures before the crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our region has persistent challenges such as inequality, poverty, and climate change, which have reversed progress in the fight against hunger for at least 13 years. This scenario obliges us to work together and act as soon as possible," said Mario Lubetkin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Lola Castro, Regional Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), said that "it is necessary to keep people at the center of all solutions to food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in the current context of climate emergency. In support of regional governments, we are promoting actions that protect the most vulnerable people and transform food systems to make them more resilient, as well as accompanying efforts through holistic public policies to promote healthy and affordable diets".

Food insecurity continues to rise in the region

The report also informs that, in 2022, 247.8 million people in the region experienced moderate or severe food insecurity. That is, they were forced to reduce the quality or quantity of the food they consumed or even went without food, went hungry, and, in the most extreme case, went days without eating, putting their health and well-being at serious risk. This figure represents a decrease of 16.5 million from 2021.

In South America, more than a third (36.4%) of the population suffered moderate or severe food insecurity. In Mesoamerica, the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity reached 34.5 % in 2022, which represented an increase of 0.4 percentage points, or 1.3 million additional people, compared to 2021. In the Caribbean, meanwhile, during 2022, 60.6 % of the population experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.

The United Nations report notes that inequalities in Latin America and the Caribbean significantly impact the food security of the most vulnerable people. The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity continues to affect women more than men. Although the gap narrowed in the region, it is still 9.1 percentage points, with Latin America and the Caribbean being the region with "In 2022, moderate or severe food insecurity in rural areas was 8.3 percentage points higher than in urban areas. Once again, it is the rural populations who are left behind, and that is why we must prioritize them in programs and public policies," said Rossana Polastri, Regional Director of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The region faces the challenge of malnutrition

Latin America and the Caribbean is increasingly facing the complex problem of malnutrition, which encompasses both undernutrition - stunting, childhood wasting, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies - and overweight and obesity.

According to the report, the region experienced an increase in the prevalence of overweight in children under 5 between 2000 and 2022 and the prevalence of obesity in adults between 2000 and 2016, in both cases exceeding the global average.

Between 2020 and 2022, in the context of the pandemic, the prevalence of overweight in children under 5 years of age increased slightly from 8.3 % to 8.6 %, with a more significant increase in South America, a milder increase in Mesoamerica and remaining stable in the Caribbean. In 2022, the prevalence of overweight in children under 5 years of age was 9.7 % in South America, 6.7 % in Mesoamerica, and 6.6 % in the Caribbean.

"Overweight and obesity are a growing challenge, responsible for approximately 2.8 million deaths" from noncommunicable diseases in 2021 in the Americas, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director. "In the last 50 years, overweight and obesity rates tripled, affecting 62.5% of the population in the region," he added and considered the regional prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents at 33.6%, higher than the world average. "It is urgent to advance in the transformation of food systems to ensure healthy eating for all."

Obesity is not the only challenge in this area. Some countries still have a high prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age. At the regional level, this figure reached 11.5%. Although a significant reduction has been achieved since 2000, the decline has slowed recently. Between 2000 and 2012, the prevalence decreased by nearly 5 percentage points; between 2012 and 2022, the drop was only 1.2 percentage points.

"In Latin America and the Caribbean, child malnutrition is a problem that, in its different forms, continues to impact children and adolescents. Child undernutrition and overweight are two sides of the same coin and require a comprehensive approach. Childhood overweight has increased alarmingly in the last two decades, threatening the health and well-being of children. At the same time, child malnutrition is prevalent in the region, affecting mostly undeserving, Afro-descendant, and rural populations. UNICEF calls on countries to promote public health policies that protect children's right to nutrition, ensuring their access to nutritious food and adequate services and practices," said Garry Conille, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The high cost of a healthy diet

Latin America and the Caribbean has the highest healthy diet costs worldwide. Between 2020 and 2021, the cost of a healthy diet increased by 5.3% in the region, which can be explained by rising food inflation driven by confinements, global supply chain disruptions, and human resource shortages.

According to Panorama 2023, the average cost of a healthy diet globally is US$3.66 per person per day. Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest healthy diet cost, reaching US$4.08 per day. It is followed by Asia, with US$3.90; Africa, with US$3.57; North America and Europe, with US$3.22; and Oceania, with US$3.20.

The Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023 is a joint publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New UN report: 43.2 million people suffer from hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the region has higher levels of overweight and obesity than the global estimate

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Regional Overview 2023 indicates that, despite halting the upward trend in the last period, hunger levels in the region remain above the 2019 figures prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. In addition, 8.6% of children under five years of age are overweight.

# data[].attributes.headline
Potential Solution 2: Increased Sustainability + Build Resilience

# data[].attributes.subject
Potential Solution 2: Increased Sustainability + Build Resilience

# data[].attributes.body
Adak Nyuol Bol stands on her farm, which is flooded, highlighting South Sudan's struggle with ongoing climate crisis and flooding for four years. Climate extremes lead to serious hunger, creating a 'new normal' of repeated disasters like droughts and floods that harm farming and displace communities. This causes weakened economies and less access to food, hindering recovery efforts.

The U. N. World Food Programme assists by promoting long-term solutions such as reforestation, climate insurance for farmers, and providing sustainable energy. They also help farmers diversify crops and livestock, teaching them new techniques and the importance of varied nutrition.

# data[].attributes.headline
Potential Solution 3: Eliminate Malnutrition in Mothers

# data[].attributes.subject
Potential Solution 3: Eliminate Malnutrition in Mothers

# data[].attributes.body
Ade Hassen Ali, a 35-year-old mother of seven, feeds her seven-month-old daughter in Bokolmayo refugee camp, Ethiopia. Malnutrition causes 45% of child deaths under five. The UN World Food Programme provides essential nutritious foods, reaching over 17 million mothers and children last year to prevent and treat malnutrition crucial in the first two years of life.

# data[].attributes.body
Burkina Faso

Increased conflict in Burkina Faso is driving up food prices, pushing thousands into food insecurity and more than 40,000 people are living in famine conditions.

Mali

Mali, which already had high levels of acute food insecurity, is seeing escalating levels of violent conflict, driving hunger even higher. For the first time, thousands of people are experiencing “catastrophic” levels of hunger.

South Sudan

In South Sudan, widespread flooding, conflict, and a weak economy are likely to intensify the hunger crisis in the world’s newest nation. An estimated 40,000 people are struggling to survive in famine conditions.

Sudan

The ongoing conflict, which started in April 2023, is increasing the number of people facing food insecurity in Sudan. The violence will have an impact on the food production and availability – making an already perilous hunger crisis worse.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Conversation - Hunger rises as food aid falls – and those living under autocratic systems bear the brunt

# data[].attributes.subject
The Conversation - Hunger rises as food aid falls – and those living under autocratic systems bear the brunt

# data[].attributes.body
Food aid, which provides food or funds to low- or middle-income countries, has decreased, affecting more people in 2024 than in 2023. Major donors like Germany and the U. S. have cut aid due to budget concerns and theft fears. The U. S. may close USAID, a key food assistance provider. Meanwhile, a hunger crisis persists, driven by civil conflict, climate change, and high prices. There is a complex distinction between democratic and autocratic governments, as both have varied structures and characteristics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy," observed Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen in his 1999 book "Development as Freedom."

My recent research doesn't tackle Sen's central argument - premised on the belief that democratic leaders prioritize food security because they cannot win reelection if the most basic needs of their constituents are not met - head on. Instead, I explored an auxiliary question: Do democratic governments cope better than their autocratic counterparts when their countries are confronted by sudden drops in food aid?

The answer is a resounding "yes."

I came to that conclusion by analyzing food insecurity data from 110 countries from 2000 to 2020.

Food aid - a form of international assistance in which donors give food, or funds to buy food, to low- or middle-income countries - has recently fallen, reaching fewer people in 2024 than in 2023, according to estimates from the World Food Program, a United Nations agency. Major donors like Germany and the United States have reduced or suspended aid, citing budgetary constraints or concerns about theft, including to some of the neediest countries, such as Afghanistan, Haiti and Ethiopia. Adding to concerns, the Trump administration has signaled that it may move to " close down " the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, the largest provider of global food assistance.

At the same time, the world has faced a significant hunger crisis since 2019 due to a combination of factors, including the impacts of civil conflict, climate change and stubbornly high prices.

I wanted to determine whether food aid cuts and rising hunger are connected, and if democracy matters. I started by cataloging instances when countries had experienced significant reductions in food aid inflows. I then looked at whether those "aid shocks" were followed by upticks in food insecurity, using data from the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization. Finally, I assessed whether the relationship between aid shocks and food insecurity varied across countries and political systems.

The results indicate that autocracies experience heightened food insecurity when sharp cuts to international food assistance occur, whereas democracies keep their people fed.

For example, autocratic Eswatini, an absolute monarchy in southern Africa that was formerly known as Swaziland, experienced a food aid shock in 2010 that was followed by a 2 percentage point uptick in the prevalence of undernourishment. In contrast, when Mongolia, a robust democracy, experienced an aid shock in 2007, undernourishment actually declined by about 3 percentage points.

On the one hand, this isn't entirely surprising, as democratic leaders - unlike their autocratic counterparts - have to face the public in national elections, and winning is difficult when people are experiencing widespread hunger. Because leaders in a democracy are more accountable to their citizens, they make more of an effort to make up for the lost aid or cushion the adverse effects of food aid shocks on their populations.

On the other hand, democracies often struggle to move quickly, due to their complex policymaking processes and checks and balances. This may lead some to conclude that it is harder for them to move nimbly during a foreign aid crisis.

Why it matters

While many question the effectiveness of aid, including food aid, my findings suggest that cutting it - as some critics suggest - will have negative effects on the health and well-being of vulnerable people around the world. Already, food systems experts have expressed fears over the Trump administration's proposed aid freezes and the potential breaking up of USAID.

For this reason, donor nations should be cautious about halting or rapidly shifting their foreign giving.

At the same time, donor governments, which are mostly Western democracies, have often used aid as a tool for promoting democratic institutions, at times cutting off aid to autocratic countries that abuse human rights. While this practice seems sensible to donors that wish to punish or discourage autocrats, my findings raise a significant concern: People living in autocratic countries may be left starving when aid is withdrawn.

And donor nations could take further steps to support democratization and democratic resilience, particularly in countries that are vulnerable to food insecurity. For example, donors can engage with civil society groups in aid-recipient nations, empowering them with tools and techniques to promote, protect and preserve democratic institutions. This way, countries will be more resilient and less likely to fall into crisis levels of hunger if and when aid cuts occur.

What's next

While there is a tendency to treat governments as either "democratic" or "autocratic," that approach obscures a good deal of nuance. Democracies vary in terms of their rules, procedures and governing structures. Likewise, autocracies can differ greatly from one another, with military regimes, personalist dictatorships and party-based autocracies each having unique characteristics.

Moving forward, I hope to dig into these varieties of democracy and autocracy to see how countries representing each respond to aid shocks.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hunger rises as food aid falls - and those living under autocratic systems bear the brunt

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Talk of the Trump administration closing USAID, the largest provider of food assistance, has sparked concerns on how it might impact global hunger.

# data[].attributes.body
What specific strategies and interventions are being implemented by organizations like the U.N. World Food Programme to address the cycle of conflict and hunger, build resilience against climate extremes, and prevent malnutrition in vulnerable populations, especially mothers and children?

# data[].attributes.body
What are the primary factors contributing to the escalating global hunger crisis, particularly in regions like Africa and Asia, and how do conflicts, climate change, and economic inequalities interact to exacerbate food insecurity and hinder progress towards the Zero Hunger goal by 2030?

# data[].attributes.body
Beyond large-scale organizational efforts, what actionable steps can individuals and communities take to contribute to the Zero Hunger goal, including promoting sustainable food choices, reducing food waste, and advocating for policy changes at local and national levels?

# data[].attributes.body
You can improve your life and your community by supporting local farmers and markets, making sustainable food choices, promoting good nutrition, and reducing food waste. Use your consumer and voter power to advocate for Zero Hunger changes.

# data[].attributes.body
Indicator 2.1.2 measures the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). It shows the percentage of individuals facing food insecurity, where moderate insecurity involves a lack of healthy food, and severe insecurity leads to hunger and undernutrition. The target is to ensure everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable, has access to safe and nutritious food all year by 2030.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Home SDG Tracker Goal 2: Zero hunger

Sustainable Development Goal 2

Prevalence of childhood stunting

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 2.2.1 is the "prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years of age" in the UN SDG framework.²

This indicator is defined as the share of children under 5 years of age who are stunted, meaning that their height-for-age is 2 or more standard deviations below the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards. Stunting is a consequence of severe malnutrition.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

The intermediate target is a reduction in the prevalence of stunting by 40% by 2025 (from 2012 levels).

Prevalence of childhood malnutrition (wasting or overweight)

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 2.2.2 is the "prevalence of malnutrition among children under 5 years of age, by type (wasting and overweight)" in the UN SDG framework.⁴

"Wasting" or being overweight are both defined as being malnourished.

A child is defined as "wasted" if their weight-for-height is more than 2 standard deviations below the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards.

A child is defined as "overweight" if their weight-for-height is more than 2 standard deviations above the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards.

The interactive visualizations show data for this indicator. The first chart shows the share of children under 5 who are wasted, and the second chart shows the share who are overweight.

This targets an elimination of wasting, and the prevalence of children being overweight by 2030.

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic pages on Hunger and Undernourishment, Obesity and Micronutrient Deficiency.

Production per labour unit

This indicator is measured as the ratio of annual output to the number of working days in a year.

Data for this indicator on small-scale food producers is shown in the interactive visualization. Small-scale food producers are those whose land size, livestock, and economic revenue from agricultural activities fall in the bottom 40 percent of the national distributions of these measures.

The second chart shows a related measure, the agricultural value added per worker.

Target: By 2030 "double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment."

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Crop Yields and Employment in Agriculture.

Sustainable food production

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Crop Yields, and comparison of the environmental impact of organic vs. conventional agriculture.

Genetic resources in conservation facilities

The first component of this indicator is defined as the number of unique accessions (distinct samples of seeds, planting materials, or plants) of plant genetic resources stored in medium to long-term conservation facilities.

The second component is defined as the number of local (existing in only one country) and transboundary (existing in more than one country) animal breeds with enough genetic material stored in medium to long-term conservation facilities so as to be able to reconstitute the breed in terms of extinction.

The interactive visualizations show data for this indicator. The first chart shows the number of unique plant genetic samples in conservation facilities in each country. The second and third charts show the number of local and transboundary animal breeds for which sufficient genetic material is stored.

Unlike most SDG targets, which are set for 2030, this target was set for 2020.

Agriculture orientation index

The agriculture orientation index (AOI) is the agriculture share of government expenditures, divided by the agriculture share of GDP.

An AOI larger than 1 means the agriculture sector receives a higher share of government spending relative to its economic value, while an AOI smaller than 1 reflects a lower orientation to agriculture.

Data on this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Official flows to agriculture

This indicator is measured as disbursements of official development assistance (ODA) and other official flows to the agriculture sector.

Official development assistance refers to flows to countries and territories on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and to multilateral institutions which meet a set of criteria related to the source of the funding, the purpose of the transaction, and the concessional nature of the funding.

Data for this indicator is shown by recipient country in the interactive visualization.

Agricultural export subsidies

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: By 2030 "correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round."

This target requires an elimination of agricultural export subsidies by 2030.

Food price anomalies

The indicator of food price anomalies (IFPA) identifies market prices that are unusually high, by evaluating growth in prices over a particular month for many years, while taking into account seasonality in agricultural markets and inflation.

Data on this indicator is shown in the first interactive visualization. A related measure, the share of countries recording high food prices, is provided in the second visualization for further context.

Target: By 2030 "adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility."

Cite this work

Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. When citing this article, please also cite the underlying data sources. This article can be cited as:

Our World in Data team (2023) - "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture". Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/sdgs/zero-hunger' [Online Resource]

BibTeX citation

@article{owid-sdgs-zero-hunger, author = {Our World in Data team}, title = {End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture}, journal = {Our World in Data}, year = {2023}, note = {https://ourworldindata.org/sdgs/zero-hunger} }

Reuse this work freely

All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license. You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited.

The data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data is subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors. We will always indicate the original source of the data in our documentation, so you should always check the license of any such third-party data before use and redistribution.

All of our charts can be embedded in any site.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sustainable Development Goals Tracker for SDG 2

# data[].attributes.body
Indicator 2.2.1 measures the prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years, defined as those whose height is 2 or more standard deviations below the WHO standards due to severe malnutrition. The goal is to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030 and reduce stunting by 40% by 2025.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Home SDG Tracker Goal 2: Zero hunger

Sustainable Development Goal 2

Prevalence of childhood stunting

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 2.2.1 is the "prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years of age" in the UN SDG framework.²

This indicator is defined as the share of children under 5 years of age who are stunted, meaning that their height-for-age is 2 or more standard deviations below the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards. Stunting is a consequence of severe malnutrition.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

The intermediate target is a reduction in the prevalence of stunting by 40% by 2025 (from 2012 levels).

Prevalence of childhood malnutrition (wasting or overweight)

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 2.2.2 is the "prevalence of malnutrition among children under 5 years of age, by type (wasting and overweight)" in the UN SDG framework.⁴

"Wasting" or being overweight are both defined as being malnourished.

A child is defined as "wasted" if their weight-for-height is more than 2 standard deviations below the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards.

A child is defined as "overweight" if their weight-for-height is more than 2 standard deviations above the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards.

The interactive visualizations show data for this indicator. The first chart shows the share of children under 5 who are wasted, and the second chart shows the share who are overweight.

This targets an elimination of wasting, and the prevalence of children being overweight by 2030.

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic pages on Hunger and Undernourishment, Obesity and Micronutrient Deficiency.

Production per labour unit

This indicator is measured as the ratio of annual output to the number of working days in a year.

Data for this indicator on small-scale food producers is shown in the interactive visualization. Small-scale food producers are those whose land size, livestock, and economic revenue from agricultural activities fall in the bottom 40 percent of the national distributions of these measures.

The second chart shows a related measure, the agricultural value added per worker.

Target: By 2030 "double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment."

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Crop Yields and Employment in Agriculture.

Sustainable food production

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Crop Yields, and comparison of the environmental impact of organic vs. conventional agriculture.

Genetic resources in conservation facilities

The first component of this indicator is defined as the number of unique accessions (distinct samples of seeds, planting materials, or plants) of plant genetic resources stored in medium to long-term conservation facilities.

The second component is defined as the number of local (existing in only one country) and transboundary (existing in more than one country) animal breeds with enough genetic material stored in medium to long-term conservation facilities so as to be able to reconstitute the breed in terms of extinction.

The interactive visualizations show data for this indicator. The first chart shows the number of unique plant genetic samples in conservation facilities in each country. The second and third charts show the number of local and transboundary animal breeds for which sufficient genetic material is stored.

Unlike most SDG targets, which are set for 2030, this target was set for 2020.

Agriculture orientation index

The agriculture orientation index (AOI) is the agriculture share of government expenditures, divided by the agriculture share of GDP.

An AOI larger than 1 means the agriculture sector receives a higher share of government spending relative to its economic value, while an AOI smaller than 1 reflects a lower orientation to agriculture.

Data on this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Official flows to agriculture

This indicator is measured as disbursements of official development assistance (ODA) and other official flows to the agriculture sector.

Official development assistance refers to flows to countries and territories on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and to multilateral institutions which meet a set of criteria related to the source of the funding, the purpose of the transaction, and the concessional nature of the funding.

Data for this indicator is shown by recipient country in the interactive visualization.

Agricultural export subsidies

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: By 2030 "correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round."

This target requires an elimination of agricultural export subsidies by 2030.

Food price anomalies

The indicator of food price anomalies (IFPA) identifies market prices that are unusually high, by evaluating growth in prices over a particular month for many years, while taking into account seasonality in agricultural markets and inflation.

Data on this indicator is shown in the first interactive visualization. A related measure, the share of countries recording high food prices, is provided in the second visualization for further context.

Target: By 2030 "adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility."

Cite this work

Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. When citing this article, please also cite the underlying data sources. This article can be cited as:

Our World in Data team (2023) - "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture". Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/sdgs/zero-hunger' [Online Resource]

BibTeX citation

@article{owid-sdgs-zero-hunger, author = {Our World in Data team}, title = {End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture}, journal = {Our World in Data}, year = {2023}, note = {https://ourworldindata.org/sdgs/zero-hunger} }

Reuse this work freely

All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license. You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited.

The data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data is subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors. We will always indicate the original source of the data in our documentation, so you should always check the license of any such third-party data before use and redistribution.

All of our charts can be embedded in any site.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sustainable Development Goals Tracker for SDG 2