Achieving zero hunger by 2030 is possible in our time

An article by Koffi Amegbeto, Senior Policy Officer, FAO Regional Office for Africa.

(The views expressed are solely the opinion of the writer) 

Capital and labor are one of the key inputs into productive as well as extractive activities that generate wealth, economic growth, transformation and social development. In Africa despite existing employment opportunities nearly in all economic sectors - agriculture, industry and services - the scarcity of talented human resources remains a major setback. 

Obviously, improving human development through better education and professional skill development is required to fill the talent gap and put countries on the path of sustainable growth. 

Nonetheless, the question is how effectively will people develop their talents if they do not know where the next meal will come from or have to go to bed on empty stomachs? 

This question begs for answers and calls for a deeper reflection on efforts aimed at addressing the enormity of food security challenges facing the globe particularly Africa. 

Malnutrition and under-nutrition have become challenge to most people in several parts of the world, and makes it imperative to create or strengthen an enabling environment to eradicating food insecurity and malnutrition, hunger and obesity. 

Many parts of Africa is bedeviled with hunger and the continent is reported to have the highest prevalence of undernourishment in the world with almost 21 percent of its population, more than 256 million people affected in 2017. 

Although the incidence of hunger is mainly restricted to specific areas such as those ravaged by conflicts, droughts and extreme poverty, obesity is everywhere, and it is increasing all around the world. 

As a matter of fact, we are experiencing obesity at such an alarming proportion. For example, obesity rates are rising faster in Africa than any other region — eight of the 20 countries in the world with the fastest rising rates of adult obesity are in Africa. 

Additionally, childhood overweight affected 38 million children under five years of age in 2017. About 46 percent of these children live in Asia, while 25 percent live in Africa

It has become a struggle around the globe to provide children a nutritious meal in a world where enough food is produced to feed everyone. An estimated 821 million people – one in nine – still go to bed on an empty stomach each night; and one in three suffers from some form of malnutrition.

The inadequacy of food or wrong food causes suffering and poor health, and slow progress in many other areas of development like education and employment.

Having all these in mind, just three years ago, in September 2015, all UN Member States approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The eradication of hunger and all forms of malnutrition (Sustainable Development Goal No. 2) was defined by world leaders as a cardinal objective of the agenda; a sine qua non for a safer, fairer and more peaceful world.

Goal 2, aims to achieve Zero Hunger pledges to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. This is priority of the global food agencies.

In 2014, the African Union Heads of State and Government adopted seven Commitments in the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation that should allow Africa to achieve Agricultural Transformation by 2025. One of these Commitments is “Ending Hunger by 2025”.

In this regard, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United nations (FAO) over the period has been on the forefront in the against eradication of hunger and achieving the global zero hunger target by 2030 and supporting the more ambitious Pan African target of zero hunger by 2025.

Though, great strides have been made by the global food agency toward ending hunger, there are still constraints in the form of inadequate investment.  

According to a UN report, zero hunger can be achieved if an estimated an additional US$267 billion per year is invested in social protection and capacity-building. This equals an average US$160 annually for each person living in extreme poverty over the 15-year period.

Recently, the three sister UN agencies, World Food Programme (WFP), FAO and International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) called for greater investment to end global hunger and poverty.

Aside greater investment in nutrition and agriculture, the attention must be turned on Nutrition-sensitive agriculture which provides a new mechanism to develop food-based interventions that are beneficial to the people.

There is ample evidence on integrated homestead gardening, nutrition education and cooking demonstrations, integrated rice and fish cultivation, and nutrition-sensitive fish culture in some countries.

José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General, advocates that increased social protection must be matched by investment. "Along with immediate hunger and extreme poverty eradication, social protection would allow the poor to afford more diverse and healthier diets,".

During this year’s World Food Day celebration, with a global theme, “Our actions are our future: a Zero Hunger world by 2030 is possible,”  stakeholders underscored the urgent need to step up collective efforts to reach the Zero Hunger goal.

Achieving Zero Hunger requires political will and commitment of Governments, good governance and policies as well as women being made an integral part of the action schemes.

In many regions of the world women farmers face greater challenges than men in terms of access to and control over productive resources, services and markets. They suffer more discrimination in terms of rights, entitlements and economic opportunities.

I believe achieving zero hunger by 2030 is not a stretch of anyone’s imagination. It is possible and a reality. As has been espoused in many quarters, the essential ingredient is the political will by our governments. If government demonstrate the continuous desire to end hunger within the targeted period, it can be done.

This political will must be translated into enabling political environment, feasible policies and strategies that provide incentives for investment in agriculture and related sectors. African governments ought to consciously invest in policies that are geared towards ending hunger and creating opportunities for their youth particularly in agri-business and entrepreneurship.  There is sufficient evidence to prove that agriculture has the potential for creating wealth for the continent.

At the individual level, concrete actions are needed to end hunger, poverty and malnutrition. We need to consciously get involve in the fight for Zero Hunger. For instance, we must grow what we eat, avoid food waste and pursue best agricultural practices.

These commitments will result in an uptick of tangible achievements and reverse the alarming progression of malnutrition in the region. It is time to act now to ensure that Zero Hunger remains an achievable goal.   

GNA

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