UNGA: FAO Chief Economist sounds alarm on lingering global food security crisis
New York- On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Máximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), delivered today a stark message to the international community, highlighting the unrelenting crisis of global food insecurity and the urgent need for action, despite the record humanitarian funding last year.
“Importantly, we should recognize that if levels of acute food insecurity and humanitarian needs remain so high at a time of record spending on humanitarian response, there is a need to change how we address food crises. There is no shortcut to eradicating hunger and we need to call for cooperation,’’ he said at a high-level event co-organized by Zambia and Sweden to reassess and refocus commitments to building resilient food systems, reducing food insecurity, withstanding crises and preventing famine.
The expert explained how the 2023 FAO-led State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) report, reveals a sobering reality: the world is still grappling with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing conflict and climate crises.
While economic recovery and reduced poverty rates had offered a glimmer of hope, rising prices of food, agricultural inputs and energy have tempered these positive trends. As of 2022, around 735 million people face the harsh realities of hunger. 122 more people comparing to 2019 before the pandemic.
Similarly, the Global Report on Food Crises, released earlier this year, underscores the gravity of the situation, with 258 million people in 58 countries facing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity. These crises have a prolonged nature, as 38 of these countries have experienced food crises for seven consecutive years, resulting in a doubling of the number of people suffering from acute hunger.
“So we need to understand that our tools and instruments should respond to these recurring events, so that we can really change the paradigm and resolve this problem once and for all”, he urged.
Changing perspective
Torero emphasized the interlinked and mutually reinforcing nature of the drivers of global acute food insecurity, including conflicts, economic shocks and extreme weather events. These challenges are expected to intensify next year, further exacerbating food insecurity.
In a plea to the international community, the Chief Economist stressed the need for a fundamental shift in how food crises are addressed.
“There exists a fundamental misalignment between what is needed and what is funded, between what affected people want and what they receive. Smallholder farmers, the backbone of global food production, require our support, yet Only four percent of humanitarian aid is allocated to protect agricultural livelihoods.’'
Torero highlighted FAO's work in Afghanistan, where increased funding for agricultural livelihoods, combined with food assistance and cash transfers, resulted in a decrease in acute food insecurity from 47% to 40% between May 2022 and April 2023. He called for greater investment in agricultural sectors to combat food insecurity effectively.
He also emphasized the resilience of agriculture in the face of conflict and climate challenges. He pointed out that local farmers in conflict zones, such as Tigray, were able to produce substantial amounts of food - some 900 000 tonnes, about five times more than entered through food assistance and enough to feed the entire region for six months, underscoring the importance of placing farmers and rural communities at the heart of support efforts.
The Chief Economist called for a holistic approach, encompassing humanitarian, development, and climate financing to support agriculture and food systems. He urged collaboration across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and collaboration with member states to strengthen food systems and build resilience against future shocks.
Food insecurity has become a pressing global issue, something that has been recognized by world leaders during the past week at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York.
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