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Agnieszka Sękiewicz‑Magoń Hungry for Facts?

According to the United Nations World Food Programme, between 720 and 811 million people around the world faced hunger in 2020. Although the world produces enough food to feed everyone on the planet, about 16% of the world population is undernourishedundernourishment [undernourished]undernourished due to food deprivationfood deprivationfood deprivation. And this is only one of many incredibly disconcertingdisconcertingdisconcerting facts about food insecurityfood insecurityfood insecurity in the world today.

Undernourishmentundernourishment [undernourished]Undernourishment is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as ‘the inability to acquire enough food to meet the minimum daily dietary energy requirement over a period of one year’. This is synonymous with hunger and the number of people affected by it is still growing, especially in recent years due to the COVID‑19 pandemic. Due to serious food shortagesfood shortages [food shortage]food shortages in many regions of the world rationingrationingrationing, food has become the norm. Low fruit and vegetable intakelow fruit and vegetable intakeLow fruit and vegetable intake results in malnutritionmalnutritionmalnutrition, which is especially acuteacuteacute and devastating in small children as it affects their growth and development.

MalnourishmentmalnourishmentMalnourishment is becoming a new plague in countries like India, southern Sudan or Ethiopia because food has become scarce there, either due to political conflict, war, povertypovertypoverty or poor harvestsharvestharvests. However, it is also a problem in highly developed countries such as the USA, where people become obese because of the wrong diet based on cheap but not nutritious food. There is also a new catastrophe that has never occurred before: we are witnessing the world’s first climate‑inducedclimate‑inducedclimate‑induced faminefaminefamine, that is a famine caused entirely by climate change. It is visible, for example, in southern Madagascar, where villagers in remote areas are on the brink ofon the brink ofon the brink of starvationstarvationstarvation due to five years of drought and a change of their surroundings: farmland has turned into sand dunes, there is no water and temperatures are still rising.

However, we cannot lose hope. With proper planning and coordination, famine can be prevented and food securityfood securityfood security can be re‑established. The FAO advocates putting more emphasis on sustainable food and agriculturesustainable food and agriculturesustainable food and agriculture so that people can use the crops of nature and not destroy it in return. There are many government and non‑government organisations whose aim is to limit global starvation. Some act as food banksfood banks [food bank]food banks, collecting and distributing food to those in need, usually through food pantries. They obtain food donationsfood donations [food donation]food donations from local neighbours, retailers, grocery stores and restaurants. Others raise money in the form of financial aidfinancial aidfinancial aid provided by governments, hunger relief charities, businesses and individuals.

Therefore, what can we do as individuals? We can start by adopting a zero food wastezero food wastezero food waste attitude in our daily life, which means that we try to produce literally no waste when cooking our meals. We can make it a point to eat and shop localeat and shop localeat and shop local because in this way we support local farmers, suppliers and food business owners. We can develop urban farmingurban farmingurban farming to reconnect people with nature and make our cities more self‑sufficientself‑sufficientself‑sufficient.

If we make an effort and try, even with the smallest steps, we will work together to achieve one of the 17 FAO sustainable development goals (Target 2.1): “By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, especially the poor and people in vulnerablevulnerablevulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and  sufficientsufficientsufficient food throughout the year.”

1 Źródło: Agnieszka Sękiewicz‑Magoń , licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.