From the 1960s until the mid-2010s, hunger was on the decline around the world. However, despite record levels of food production, this positive trend has reversed. In 2021, approximately 828 million people globally were affected by hunger—an increase of 46 million from 2020 and 150 million from 2019.
This alarming rise in hunger is not limited to low-income countries. Significant numbers of people in wealthier nations, such as the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil, are struggling to meet their basic nutritional needs. Recent research suggests that inequitable food systems and widespread hunger could become the new normal if urgent action is not taken.
In the UK, the world’s sixth-largest economy, roughly one in seven people experienced food poverty in September 2022. The number of food banks operating across the country has surged to more than 2,000, compared to fewer than 100 a decade ago.
Brazil had achieved significant reductions in poverty and food insecurity by the early 2010s. However, much of this progress has been reversed in recent years due to economic recession and political turmoil. By 2022, an estimated 125 million Brazilians—more than half the population—faced some degree of food insecurity, with 33 million living in hunger. Vulnerable groups, including Black and brown communities, women-led households, and low-income families with young children, are disproportionately affected.
Similarly, in South Africa, despite constitutional recognition of the right to adequate nutrition, nearly 45 percent of the population experienced moderate or extreme food insecurity between 2018 and 2020—twice as many as in Brazil during that period. Hunger in South Africa is rooted in historical legacies and continues to persist.
Paradoxically, the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone. This raises critical questions: What is going wrong, and how can this global crisis be resolved? Addressing these challenges requires a collective effort to create equitable food systems and implement policies that ensure access to adequate nutrition for all.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
