The United Nations (UN) warns of the need for political will to end hunger in the world, considering that “a world without hunger is possible and within reach”.
There is 733 million people passing by hunger in the world.
The proportion of the world’s population suffering from hunger had fallen by almost 50% since 1990, when it affected more than a billion people.
However, the numbers have increased drastically since 2020 due to the increase in conflicts all over the world, extreme weather events and at disruptions to logistics chains.
“A world without hunger is possible and within reach. We have the technology and knowledge to defeat hunger, but we need political will and the necessary investments”, said the director-general of the UN agency for Industrial Development (UNIDO), Gerd Müllerin a statement.
The capital of Ethiopia hosts the World Without Hunger Conference between Tuesday and Thursday, where this UN agency and the one dedicated to agriculture and food (FAO) will present a study entitled ‘It is possible to end hunger ‘.
In the statement, Müller said that “the new ONUDI-FAO study presents a lasting solution to the hunger crisis, particularly in the face of demographic growth”, considering that it is “crucial that long-term strategic investments are made without delay”.
“Today, it would cost an additional $540 billion to end hunger by 2030, largely through social protection programs. In 2020, it was estimated that 330 billion dollars would be needed to do this”, detailed UNIDO.
What is the reason for the worsening of hunger?
This worsening, according to the study, is due to factors such as high dependence on food importswhich makes countries more susceptible to variations in world prices.
Os extreme weather events and climate disruption affected food production and availability, which worsened the food crisis in regions that suffered droughts or floods.
Solutions?
The solution that the body presents to end the problem of hunger is the combination of increased food production and guarantee the economic means for the population to purchase food, which allows production and consumption to be redistributed to where it is most needed.
To achieve this objective, according to the organization, it is necessary to invest in agricultural productivity through investigationas well as in mechanization of farms and the adoption of information and communication technologies.
There also “continues to be an important need for investment to build and maintain risky infrastructure, electricity, rural roads and storage to reduce post-harvest losses“, according to UNIDO.
