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5 WORLD HUNGER SOLUTIONS TO GET US TO 2030

1. EMBRACE CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE
Climate change and hunger exist in a vicious cycle. More frequent and longer-lasting periods of extreme temperatures, flood events, and dry spells leave many families — especially those who work in agriculture — unable to put food on the table. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a broad term that encompasses a number of practices. But all of these solutions allow farmers to adapt and become more resilient against an unpredictable climate.

These practices include diversifying crop varieties, conservation agriculture, and low-water sack gardens. Time and again, we’ve seen families benefit both nutritionally and financially from these solutions.


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9 WORLD HUNGER SOLUTIONS TO GET US TO 2030
April 25, 2022
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The global hunger crisis has only gotten larger since COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean we can’t solve it.

A combination of conflict, the climate crisis, and the ripple effects of COVID-19 have left the world losing progress in the fight for Zero Hunger. But that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. Some are relatively simple, short-term solutions. Others are more complex, requiring lasting change and commitment at the international level. But it’s a cause worth fighting for. Here are nine world hunger solutions that are guiding Concern’s work in 24 countries around the globe.

STAND WITH CONCERN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER
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1. EMBRACE CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE
Climate change and hunger exist in a vicious cycle. More frequent and longer-lasting periods of extreme temperatures, flood events, and dry spells leave many families — especially those who work in agriculture — unable to put food on the table. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a broad term that encompasses a number of practices. But all of these solutions allow farmers to adapt and become more resilient against an unpredictable climate.

These practices include diversifying crop varieties, conservation agriculture, and low-water sack gardens. Time and again, we’ve seen families benefit both nutritionally and financially from these solutions.

Related

ENDING HUNGER IN ETHIOPIA — THE IRISH WAY
The humble Irish potato is fighting climate change and transforming lives in the Ethiopian highland.

2. RESPOND TO THE REFUGEE CRISIS
Forced migration is a key cause of hunger, and we are currently in the middle of an unprecedented global refugee crisis. This is also true for other forms of displacement. Refugees and IDPs are some of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to hunger. So are their host communities, whose resources are often very thinly spread.

Much of the work to stop conflict needs to take place on a government and policy level, but one way Concern can help is through programs that facilitate new ways to generate income. For example, Syrian refugee women and their Lebanese neighbors have learned to make staples like cheese and yogurt, as well as how to sell them at market for a profit. For those who wish to return home to Syria, this will also be an essential skill to have when the country eventually rebuilds its infrastructure.

3. ADVOCATE FOR GENDER EQUALITY
Gender equality is another key solution to world hunger, especially in two key areas: agriculture and maternal and child health.

Women make up approximately half of the agricultural workforce in many of the countries where Concern works, and data from the Food and Agriculture Organization suggest that giving female farmers equal access to resources as their male counterparts could increase production on their farms by 20-30%. This could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world by up to 150 million.

Hunger affects maternal health, making female nutrition essential to ending hunger. According to the World Food Programme, women are more likely than men to go hungry in nearly two-thirds of the world’s countries. By prioritizing women’s health and nutrition, we can prevent not only health complications for them if and when they have children, but also for the children they bear. This begins with puberty and continues through pregnancy, breastfeeding, and on through healthy habits that children can maintain for the rest of their lives

4. REDUCE FOOD WASTE
Currently, one-third of all food produced is wasted — that’s over 1.3 billion tons. Producing this wasted food also wastes other natural resources. It requires an amount of water equal to the annual flow of Russia’s Volga River, and creates 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases.

Ending food waste would be a radical shift, but it’s one that you can be a part of by simply reducing your own food waste. It’s especially important in countries like the United States (which contribute more to climate change but feel the effects less than more vulnerable countries) to take these steps towards climate justice. You can also ask your representatives to commit to policies that reduce waste and better the whole food system.

5
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IMPACT
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT
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9 WORLD HUNGER SOLUTIONS TO GET US TO 2030
April 25, 2022
SHARE

TWEET

EMAIL
The global hunger crisis has only gotten larger since COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean we can’t solve it.

A combination of conflict, the climate crisis, and the ripple effects of COVID-19 have left the world losing progress in the fight for Zero Hunger. But that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. Some are relatively simple, short-term solutions. Others are more complex, requiring lasting change and commitment at the international level. But it’s a cause worth fighting for. Here are nine world hunger solutions that are guiding Concern’s work in 24 countries around the globe.

STAND WITH CONCERN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER
First Name
Last Name
Email
1. EMBRACE CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE
Climate change and hunger exist in a vicious cycle. More frequent and longer-lasting periods of extreme temperatures, flood events, and dry spells leave many families — especially those who work in agriculture — unable to put food on the table. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a broad term that encompasses a number of practices. But all of these solutions allow farmers to adapt and become more resilient against an unpredictable climate.

These practices include diversifying crop varieties, conservation agriculture, and low-water sack gardens. Time and again, we’ve seen families benefit both nutritionally and financially from these solutions.

Related

ENDING HUNGER IN ETHIOPIA — THE IRISH WAY
The humble Irish potato is fighting climate change and transforming lives in the Ethiopian highlands.

READ MORE
2. RESPOND TO THE REFUGEE CRISIS
Forced migration is a key cause of hunger, and we are currently in the middle of an unprecedented global refugee crisis. This is also true for other forms of displacement. Refugees and IDPs are some of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to hunger. So are their host communities, whose resources are often very thinly spread.

Much of the work to stop conflict needs to take place on a government and policy level, but one way Concern can help is through programs that facilitate new ways to generate income. For example, Syrian refugee women and their Lebanese neighbors have learned to make staples like cheese and yogurt, as well as how to sell them at market for a profit. For those who wish to return home to Syria, this will also be an essential skill to have when the country eventually rebuilds its infrastructure.

Climate Smart farmer Esime Jenaia at home with her husband in Chituke, Malawi.

3. ADVOCATE FOR GENDER EQUALITY
Gender equality is another key solution to world hunger, especially in two key areas: agriculture and maternal and child health.

Women make up approximately half of the agricultural workforce in many of the countries where Concern works, and data from the Food and Agriculture Organization suggest that giving female farmers equal access to resources as their male counterparts could increase production on their farms by 20-30%. This could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world by up to 150 million.

Hunger affects maternal health, making female nutrition essential to ending hunger. According to the World Food Programme, women are more likely than men to go hungry in nearly two-thirds of the world’s countries. By prioritizing women’s health and nutrition, we can prevent not only health complications for them if and when they have children, but also for the children they bear. This begins with puberty and continues through pregnancy, breastfeeding, and on through healthy habits that children can maintain for the rest of their lives.

4. REDUCE FOOD WASTE
Currently, one-third of all food produced is wasted — that’s over 1.3 billion tons. Producing this wasted food also wastes other natural resources. It requires an amount of water equal to the annual flow of Russia’s Volga River, and creates 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases.

Ending food waste would be a radical shift, but it’s one that you can be a part of by simply reducing your own food waste. It’s especially important in countries like the United States (which contribute more to climate change but feel the effects less than more vulnerable countries) to take these steps towards climate justice. You can also ask your representatives to commit to policies that reduce waste and better the whole food system.

5. INVEST IN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
Investing in disaster risk reduction — especially in vulnerable communities — mitigates potential losses in the wake of disasters for those who stand to lose the most. Most of the people with whom we work are involved in subsistence agriculture, meaning that they grow what they eat. For many, their harvests are never enough, and the prospect of losing what they do grow is the very definition of disaster. Simple techniques to protect and diversify crops can be very effective. Protecting the homestead and livestock is important too; losing vital shelter and assets can quickly lead to hunger.

Up to 811 million people — about 10% of the world’s population — regularly go to bed hungry. The war in Ukraine has made conditions worse in 2022, as conflict restricts global food supplies, drives up prices, and threatens the world’s most vulnerable people and countries.

Here are 10 facts you should know about global hunger and food insecurity:

1. More people are at risk of starving.
More than 48 million people are facing emergency levels of hunger, with the threat of acute malnutrition, starvation, and death, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The number is growing at an alarming rate, reports the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC). About 193 million people in 53 countries/territories experienced acute food insecurity at crisis levels or worse in 2021, an increase of nearly 40 million people compared to 2020, according to the GNAFC.

2. Poverty and inequality as underlying causes of world hunger.
Conflict, extreme weather patterns, and disparities caused by economic shocks and health crises, including the coronavirus pandemic, are main drivers behind the rise of food insecurity. Conflict remains a primary driver of food insecurity, having forced 139 million people in 24 countries/territories into acute levels of food insecurity, an increase from 99 million in 23 countries/territories in 2020.

3. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated global food insecurity.
Even before the war in Ukraine, food insecurity was increasing around the world. Now, the rising costs of fuel, fertilizer, and wheat, driven by shortages and sanctions arising from the war in Ukraine, are fueling the hunger crisis and creating the potential for mass starvation across hunger hotspots in multiple nations around the world, according to United Nations agencies. Ukraine (considered the “breadbasket of Europe”) and Russia together export 29% ­of the world’s wheat. In 2021, Ukraine was among the top three global exporters of wheat, corn, rapeseed (used to make canola oil), sunflower seeds, and sunflower oil. Increased stress on food systems could lead to 323 million people facing acute hunger in 2022. Out of 55 countries with food crises, 36 depended on Ukrainian and Russian exports for more than 10% of their wheat imports in 2021, according to the GNAFC.

4. Some regions have a higher risk of hunger than others.
In 2021, nearly 70% of people facing crisis levels of hunger were living in 10 countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Pakistan, and Yemen. Almost 40 million people in 36 countries were facing emergency levels of hunger. Of critical concern are the more than 570,000 individuals who faced starvation and death in just four countries: Ethiopia, southern Madagascar, South Sudan, and Yemen.

As of 2021, the WFP estimates up to 283 million people are acutely food insecure or at high risk in 80 countries.

5. More children will suffer life-threatening forms of malnutrition.
Over 45 million children are affected by wasting, the most visible, severe, and potentially life-threatening form of malnutrition. Globally, 1 in 5 deaths among children under 5 is attributed to severe wasting, also known as severe acute malnutrition. More than 1 million children die each year from severe wasting.

6. The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on global poverty is unknown.
Before the pandemic, the number of people living in extreme poverty — on less than $1.90 a day — had been declining. But that trend was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, combined with the effects of conflict and extreme weather patterns around the world. While the full impact is unknown, the World Bank estimates that an additional 75 to 95 million people could be living in extreme poverty in 2022, compared to initial pre-pandemic projections.

7. The world is falling behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal for hunger.
The United Nations’ “zero hunger” Sustainable Development Goal calls for ending hunger in the world by 2030. Conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, and extreme weather events have intensified underlying inequalities around the world, making this goal even more difficult to achieve.

At World Vision, we’re committed to continue working to end hunger, and we give thanks to God for the progress that has been made while adapting and adjusting our programs to respond to current realities.

8. World Vision is focused on 24 vulnerable countries to help end world hunger.
World Vision is working to save lives in countries where people are suffering unimaginable levels of hunger. We’re responding with life-saving aid, access to clean water, health and nutrition programming, and child protection. Our goal is to reach 15 million people who face life-threatening hunger. Countries of concern include:

East Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania
Southern Africa: Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
West Africa: Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger
Latin America and the Caribbean: Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Venezuela
Middle East: Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.
Asia: Myanmar
9. World Vision is uniquely positioned to respond to the hunger crisis due to our extensive operational presence worldwide and expertise and leadership in food and nutrition programming.
In addition to having over 70 years of experience working with communities, partners, and governments worldwide, we are also supported by our generous partners, faithful donors who sponsor children, and government and private grants. World Vision is the World Food Programme’s largest implementing partner worldwide. During food crises and other disasters, World Vision provides immediate food aid to help people get through the worst days and save the lives of children and other vulnerable people. When the situation improves, we continue to help communities recover and build their capacity to provide food for themselves and their families.

10. Help us end world hunger, now.
Pray for children and families affected by hunger, the long-term effects of which are devastating to their future. Pray that nutritious food will be readily available in hungry communities — food that they can afford to buy or raise themselves.
Help provide life-saving food and care. Your gift will help provide interventions like emergency food aid, agricultural support, clean water, medicine, and other essential care to hungry children and families around the world.
Sponsor a child today. Sponsorship is the most powerful way you can tackle poverty. When you sponsor a child, you provide access to life-saving basics like nutritious food, healthcare, access to clean water, education, and more.
Chris Huber and Sevil Omer of World Vision’s U.S. staff contributed to this article.