Fight against hunger suffers setback

There is yet another warning on the impact of Covid-19 on the lives of the poorest sections of people in the world from the UN, not only in the near term but in the long run, too. Its report, State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, states that achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of zero hunger by 2030 may not be realised as the pandemic has setback progress on this front. While it is not possible to assess the full impact of the lockdowns and other measures on the economy and on the poverty alleviation programmes of governments yet, it has estimated that at least an additional 83 million people, and possibly as many as 132 million than already do, may go hungry in 2020. There was a setback even last year, when 140 million people suffered from chronic hunger, 10 million more than the previous year.

Asia had the highest number of hungry people last year, and Africa and Latin America came next. By 2030, most hungry people will be in Africa, but hunger will be widespread in other places, too. The international poverty benchmark is $1.9 per day, but the report shows that a healthy diet for a day costs much more than this in any part of the world. In South Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa, more than 50% of the populations do not meet this diet criterion, and the situation is going to get worse. The 2030 target may not be achieved in the case of other SDGs also. Along with hunger, malnutrition also remains a major challenge. The targets for breast-feeding and prevention of stunting, wasting and low birthweight, which are all linked to malnutrition, may not be achieved by 2030.

Climate change has affected food production systems worldwide and there will be more disruptions in future. The present impact of Covid-19 on economics, agriculture and distribution is likely to be felt for long. The report calls for a transformation of food systems to reduce the cost of nutritious foods and to increase the affordability of healthy diets. Costs of production, storage, transportation and marketing of food should be reduced and inefficiencies and wastage should be avoided. It also seeks better support for small-scale producers and greater priority for children’s nutrition. The UN favours a combination of direct cash transfers and in-kind transfers to secure food security, especially when the public distribution system is inefficient. The challenges to food security are especially real in the case of India, and long-term and short-term strategies have to be implemented to address them.