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UN report: Hunger problem becoming rampant globally
by Joseph Earnest October 1, 2013
Newscast Media WASHINGTON—According to a UN research report, some 842 million people – roughly one in eight – suffered from chronic hunger in the period from 2011 to 2013, the vast majority of them in developing regions. The report was released today by three United Nations agencies.
According to the State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI 2013), published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), all of which are based in Rome.
Click here to download or read entire UN research report. (pop-up)
The agencies said in a news release that continued economic growth in developing countries has improved incomes and access to food. Recent pick-up in agricultural productivity growth, supported by increased public investment and renewed interest of private investors in agriculture, has improved food availability.
In some countries, remittances from migrants are playing a role in reducing poverty, leading to better diets and progress in food security. They can also contribute to boosting productive investments by smallholder farmers, the agencies noted.
"Despite the progress made worldwide, marked differences in hunger reduction persist," they stated.
For example, sub-Saharan Africa has made only modest progress in recent years and remains the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment, with one in four people estimated to be hungry.
Meanwhile, no recent progress is observed in Western Asia, while Southern Asia and Northern Africa witnessed slow progress. More substantial reductions in both the number of hungry and prevalence of undernourishment have occurred in most countries of East Asia, South-eastern Asia, and in Latin America.
The report stressed that developing regions as a whole have made significant progress towards reaching the target of halving the proportion of hungry people by 2015, one of the targets set by world leaders as part of the Millennium Development Goals.
The report, whose findings will be discussed by governments, civil society and private sector representatives at next week's meeting in Rome of the Committee on World Food Security, also presented new indicators for every country to capture the multiple dimensions of food insecurity. Add Comments>>
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