735 million people will suffer from hunger in 2022
“Up to 780 million people do not have enough to eat. More than 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. And by 2030, it is expected that more than 600 million people will still live with hunger."
On Wednesday, five specialized agencies of the United Nations jointly published a report on the state of food security and nutrition in 2023. It reveals that between 691 and 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, with an average of 735 million, i.e. 122 million more people than in 2019, before the COVID19 pandemic.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, spoke Wednesday in Los Angeles, on the occasion of the publication of this report. "In a world of plenty, no one should go hungry," he lamented,
"And no one should suffer the cruelty of malnutrition. But this report on the state of food security and nutrition paints a bleak picture of our reality."
He denounced several origins of this food insecurity: "conflicts, climate, economic shocks and inequalities".
“Up to 780 million people do not have enough to eat. More than 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. And by 2030, it is expected that more than 600 million people will still live with hunger."
If, from 2021 to 2022, progress has been made in reducing hunger in Asia and Latin America, it remains on the increase in Western Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. According to this report, it is women and people living in rural areas who are most affected by hunger.
Experts also provide data on children. They claim that
“Globally in 2022, an estimated 148,1 million children under five (22,3%) were stunted, 45 million (6,8%) were wasted and 37 million (5,6. XNUMX%) were overweight. The prevalence of stunting and wasting was higher in rural areas, while overweight was slightly more prevalent in urban areas."
Le investigation report also points to another trend, urbanization, which presents challenges, including "the increasing consumption of highly processed foods in peri-urban and rural areas of some countries", but also opportunities, such as the expansion "of income-generating activities income from off-farm employment, especially for women and youth, or increasing the variety of nutritious foods".
"We must build resilience to the crises and shocks that fuel food insecurity, from conflict to climate," António Guterres said on Wednesday.
“We need to protect gains in child nutrition, especially from the risks posed by rising obesity. And we need to ensure that food systems are fit for the future. That means adapting to reality of a burgeoning urban population — the subject of this year's report".
MC
