The United Nations reported that 8.2 per cent of the world’s population experienced hunger last year compared with 8.5 per cent in 2023.
The worst was 9.9 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic
Between 638 million and 720 million people faced hunger last
year. With a midpoint estimate of 673 million people, it is the first time the
actual number of people facing hunger has fallen below 2019’s estimate of 690
million people, said Laura Brooke, senior communications officer for the
Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
report, jointly prepared by five U.N. agencies, focused on chronic, long-term
issues and did not fully reflect impacts of acute crises brought on by specific
events, such as war in Gaza.
Maximo Torero, the chief economist for the U.N. Food and
Agricultural Organization, said improved access to food in South America and
India had driven the overall decline but cautioned that conflict and other
factors in places such as Africa and the Middle East risked undoing those
gains.
“If conflict continues to grow, of course, if
vulnerabilities continue to grow, and the debt stress continues to increase,
the numbers will increase again,” he said.
“Conflict continues to drive hunger from Gaza to Sudan and
beyond,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Food affordability also continues to challenge food
security, the Foodgrains Bank said.
“In Sudan, the average cost of a healthy diet has risen by
over 28 per cent since 2017 due to the ongoing conflict,” said Stefan Epp-Koop,
the foodbank’s senior manager.S
“That’s a burden many would find hard to carry. But for
those who were already struggling due to poverty, it often feels impossible.
Funding cuts earlier this year to the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) slashed funding for about 40 per cent of
the world’s international aid programs, the Foodgrains Bank said. This,
combined with cuts from other Western governments, mean the number of hungry
people is expected to rise this year.
The Foodgrains Bank committed to reach more than 1.1 million
people in 37 countries in 2024 and 2025 with food assistance and long-term
livelihood and agriculture support.
