Ending Hunger is Possible
Solutions for ending hunger were discussed and showcased at the World Without Hunger Conference in Addis Ababa, mentioning that it is possible with concerted action among all partners and especially the contribution of the private sector. Please, read more about possible solutions and what needs to be done.
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Last November 2024, UNIDO, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN convened the World without Hunger Conference in Addis Abeba, to discuss and showcase solutions for ending hunger within 2030. According to the UNIDO director, a world without hunger is possible but requires concerted action among all partners and especially the contribution of the private sector to engage to tackle hunger on the planet. The conference ended with the Addis Abeba call for action for a world without hunger.
Introduction
Today, 733 million people face hunger; or one in 11 people in the world. If we continue with business as usual, by 2030, hunger will be higher than it was in 2015. It is estimated that it would cost an additional USD 540 billion to end hunger by 2030, largely through social protection programmes. Recent global shocks and more immediate drivers of hunger and malnutrition have also intensified underlying structural challenges, making the hunger crisis worse. Driving the rise in hunger are economic shocks and downturns, conflicts, and climate variability and extremes. Economic vulnerabilities are exacerbated by high dependency on food imports making countries particularly susceptible to global price fluctuations. Additionally, climate variability and extremes, such as the record-breaking temperatures and severe flooding in 2023, have significantly impacted food production and availability, further deepening the food crises in affected regions.
A world without hunger is possible
The world continues to produce more food per inhabitant every year. The problem is not the lack of food at the global scale, but the discrepancies between where it is produced, and where it is consumed, and the lack of economic means for vulnerable population to buy it. We know how to end hunger, and we know how much additional money is needed. One simple way is to give people money, through cash transfers; the most common type of social protection programme. If we end hunger this way, it will cost an extra USD 540 billion to end hunger by 2030, with nearly half associated with large and recurrent payments every year, making this option not fiscally sustainable for most countries and partners. Another way to end hunger is through income generation, especially among the agrifood systems. An income-generating approach, based on growth in productivity and incomes for the poorest and most vulnerable through value addition, is the most resilient, sustainable and lasting way to end hunger: it combines expanding food production and providing the economic means for population to buy food; this is the most effective way to redistribute production and consumption to where it is needed most.
What needs to be done?
First, additional investments are needed to improve productivity and incomes on the farm through agricultural research and development, extension services, farm mechanization and technology adoption such as information and communications technologies. Second, there is also still a significant need for investment to build and maintain infrastructure for irrigation, electricity, rural roads, and storage to reduce post-harvest losses. Less well explored is how to generate income for people affected by hunger and poverty through value addition in agri-food processing, distribution and retail. The most effective investments are in agri-food processing, particularly by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in domestic and regional markets. Agri-food processing can expand opportunities for producers, enhance food security, and facilitate the development and transformation of the food system at large. More specifically, it can reduce post-harvest losses for more nutritious foods through better handling practices, improved packaging and cold storage. This can simultaneously improve food safety through measures such as basic food preservation methods (e.g. drying and fermentation), or advanced industrial processes (e.g. pasteurization and food fortification). To complement these investments and meet the labour demands of the food processing sector, there is a need for more vocational training and increased academic.
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