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October 2012, Rome - Nearly 870 million people, or one in eight, were
suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2010-2012, according to the new
UN hunger report released today.
The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012 (SOFI),
jointly published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food
Programme (WFP), presents better estimates of chronic undernourishment
based on an improved methodology and data for the last two decades.
The vast majority of the hungry, 852 million, live in developing
countries -- around 15 percent of their population -- while 16 million
people are undernourished in developed countries.
The global number of hungry people declined by 132 million between
1990-92 and 2010-12, or from 18.6 percent to 12.5 percent of the world's
population, and from 23.2 percent to 14.9 percent in developing countries -
putting the MDG target within reach if adequate, appropriate actions are
taken.
The number of hungry declined more sharply between 1990 and 2007
than previously believed. Since 2007-2008, however, global progress in
reducing hunger has slowed and leveled off.
"In today's world of unprecedented technical and economic
opportunities, we find it entirely unacceptable that more than 100 million
children under five are underweight, and therefore unable to realize their
full human and socio-economic potential, and that childhood malnutrition is
a cause of death for more than 2.5 million children every year," say
José Graziano da Silva, Kanayo F. Nwanze and Ertharin Cousin, respectively
the Heads of FAO, IFAD and WFP, in a foreword to the report.
"We note with particular concern that the recovery of the
world economy from the recent global financial crisis remains fragile. We
nonetheless appeal to the international community to make extra efforts to
assist the poorest in realizing their basic human right to adequate food.
The world has the knowledge and the means to eliminate all forms of food
insecurity and malnutrition," they add.
A "twin-track" approach is needed, based on support for
broad-based economic growth (including in agriculture) and safety nets for
the most vulnerable.
Impact of economic crisis
The new estimates suggest that the increase in hunger during
2007-2010 was less severe than previously thought. The 2008-2009 economic
crisis did not cause an immediate sharp economic slowdown in many
developing countries as was feared could happen; the transmission of
international food prices to domestic markets was less pronounced than was
assumed at the time while many governments succeeded in cushioning the
shocks and protecting the most vulnerable from the effects of the price
spike.
The numbers of hunger released today are part of a revised series
that go back to 1990. It uses updated information on population, food
supply, food losses, dietary energy requirements and other factors. They
also better estimate the distribution of food (as measured in terms
of dietary energy supply) within countries.
SOFI 2012 notes that the methodology does not capture the
short-term effects of food price surges and other economic shocks. FAO is
also working to develop a wider set of indicators to better capture dietary
quality and other dimensions of food security.
MDG target within reach
The report suggests that if appropriate actions are taken to
reverse the slowdown in 2007-08 and to feed the hungry, achieving the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing by half the share of hungry
people in the developing world by 2015 is still within reach.
"If the average annual hunger reduction of the past 20 years
continues through to 2015, the percentage of undernourishment in the
developing countries would reach 12.5 percent - still above the MDG target
of 11.6 percent, but much closer to it than previously estimated," the
report says.
Asia leads in number of hungry; hunger rises in Africa
Among the regions, undernourishment in the past two decades
decreased nearly 30 percent in Asia and the Pacific, from 739 million to
563 million, largely due to socio-economic progress in many countries in
the region. Despite population growth, the prevalence of undernourishment
in the region decreased from 23.7 percent to 13.9 percent.
Latin America and the Caribbean also made progress, falling
from 65 million hungry in 1990-1992 to 49 million in 2010-2012, while the
prevalence of undernourishment dipped from 14.6 percent to 8.3 percent. But
the rate of progress has slowed recently.
Africa was the only region where the number of hungry grew over the
period, from 175 million to 239 million, with nearly 20 million added in
the past four years. The prevalence of hunger, although reduced over the
entire period, has risen slightly over the past three years, from 22.6
percent to 22.9 percent - with nearly one in four hungry. And in
sub-Saharan Africa, the modest progress achieved in recent years up to 2007
was reversed, with hunger rising 2 percent per year since then.
Developed regions also saw the number of hungry rise, from 13
million in 2004-2006 to 16 million in 2010-2012, reversing a steady
decrease in previous years from 20 million in 1990-1992.
Agricultural growth to reduce hunger and malnutrition
The report underlines that overall growth is necessary but not
sufficient for a sustained hunger reduction. Agricultural growth is
particularly effective in reducing hunger and malnutrition in poor
countries since most of the poor depend on agriculture and related
activities for at least part of their livelihoods. Agricultural growth
involving smallholders, especially women, will be most effective in
reducing extreme poverty and hunger when it generates employment for the
poor.
Growth must not only benefit the poor, but must also be
"nutrition-sensitive" in order to reduce various forms of
malnutrition. Reducing hunger is about more than just increasing the
quantity of food it is also about increasing the quality of food in terms
of diversity, nutrient content and safety.
For even while 870 million people remain hungry, the world is
increasingly faced with a double burden of malnutrition, with chronic
undernourishment and micronutrient malnutrition co-existing with obesity,
overweight and related non-communicable diseases (affecting more than
1.4 billion people worldwide).
To date, the linkage between economic growth and better nutrition
has been weak, the report says, arguing for an integrated
agriculture-nutrition-health framework.
Social protection systems
Growth is clearly important, but it is not always sufficient, or
rapid enough. Hence, social protection systems are needed to ensure that
the most vulnerable are not left behind and can also participate in,
contribute to and benefit from growth.
Measures such as cash transfers, food vouchers or health insurance
are needed for the most vulnerable who often cannot take immediate
advantage of growth opportunities. Social protection can improve nutrition
for young children - an investment that will pay off in the future with
better educated, stronger and healthier adults. With effective social
protection complementing inclusive economic growth, hunger and malnutrition
can be eliminated.