After a decade of progress, global hunger has been increasing in recent years, underscoring the daunting challenge of eradicating hunger by 2030. Contributing factors include trade tensions, economic downturns, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, all of which have severely impacted global food security.

The latest The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), was released at the G20 Task Force for a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty Ministerial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro on 24 July 2024, revealing that approximately 733 million people faced hunger in 2023.

The report, led by its Senior Editor, Cindy Holleman, and the team of the FAO Agrifood Economics and Policy Division (ESA), highlights that current levels of undernourishment are now comparable to those from 2008–2009, reversing the progresses of the beginning of the millennium. Key findings include that 2.33 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023, with over 864 million facing severe conditions. Economic access to healthy diets remains a critical issue for one-third of the global population. Despite some improvements in child stunting rates, one in four children under five continues to suffer from undernutrition, and adult obesity is rising, with projections suggesting over 1.2 billion obese adults by 2030.

Considering this situation, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu stressed, “Transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years. FAO remains committed to supporting countries in their efforts to eradicate hunger and ensure food security for all”, said.

Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty

At the G20 meeting in Brazil, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu praised Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for his leadership in prioritizing food security on the G20 agenda and for initiating the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. This new initiative aims to eradicate hunger and poverty through evidence-based policies.

The Alliance, which will be coordinated from FAO's headquarters in Rome but open to all interested nations, is designed to mobilize resources, coordinate support, and implement key national policies such as school meals and cash transfers. It also seeks to foster innovative and decentralized development approaches.

In his remarks, Qu emphasized FAO’s commitment to supporting the Alliance: “We will work together with all partners and with all approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, to accelerate the needed change. Together, we must innovate and collaborate to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can better withstand future challenges for a better world." FAO will be hosting the support mechanism at his headquarters in Rome.

Looking forward, the plan is to leverage the progress seen in regions like South America, which is on track to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030, and share successful strategies with other regions, particularly Africa. The official launch of the Alliance is planned for the G20 Leaders Summit in November 2024.

Additional reports highlight challenges and solutions

Prepared for Brazil's G20 Presidency, two new reports provide strategic recommendations for tackling global hunger, food security and enhancing resilience.

The first document, titled Report on the way forward to supplying adequate and nutritious food for all while contributing to poverty reduction and rural development and authored jointly by the Agrifood Economics and Policy (ESA) and the Markets and Trade (EST) divisions of FAO, assesses the current state of hunger, forecasts global cereal supply, and identifies investment needs in agrifood systems. It underscores the need for collective efforts and public sector leadership to meet the nutritional and energy demands of a growing global population.

The report urges governments to support local farmers and vulnerable communities during crises. Key recommendations include strengthening social protection programs, investing in underfunded areas, improving market transparency, reconfiguring agricultural support, advancing agricultural knowledge and research and development, and increasing agrifood system investments.

The second document, Report on the way forward to resilience: Preventing hunger and poverty from rising as a result of different shocks, published by FAO (ESA and the Office of Emergency and Resilience), WFP and UNICEF, stresses that an estimated 282 million people across 59 countries are facing acute hunger, with millions more at risk of starvation, exacerbated by conflicts, economic shocks, and climate change. The situation is dire for children, with 202 million living in severe food insecurity.

Despite ongoing efforts, global hunger levels are higher than pre-pandemic levels, and projections indicate about 600 million people will still be hungry by 2030. To confront these challenges, the report advocates for integrated resilience strategies, improved data collection, and strengthened social protection systems to manage overlapping crises and achieve global food security.

Both reports emphasize the need for a unified approach involving governments, international organizations, and local communities to build resilience, attain global food security, and prevent further worsening of poverty and hunger. It recognizes the G20 Task Force for the Establishment of a Global Alliance against Hunger as a pivotal leader in this global effort. These countries contributions to agricultural innovation, market transparency, and risk management are deemed crucial in advancing towards the Zero Hunger goal.