Food riots have shaken over thirty nations. And there are four times as many cereal-importing countries as cereal exporters. So governments everywhere are taking urgent measures. Some are blocking food exports and increasing subsidies for basic foods and bread. Many are giving emergency assistance to farmers while mobilizing security forces to clamp down on hungry protesters. And they are desperately hoping that prices will recede. The United Nations was caught off guard along with the others. It had affirmed food as a basic human right and done much to provide emergency food aid and agricultural development assistance, but it had not managed to eliminate serious hunger or to foresee the looming crisis.
A study conducted by the United Nations in 2019 found that more people are going hungry. Tens of millions have joined the ranks of the chronically undernourished over the past five years, and countries around the world continue to struggle with multiple forms of malnutrition. The latest report estimates that almost 690 million people went hungry in 2019 – up by 10 million from 2018, and by nearly 60 million in five years.
Generally, grain stocks have fallen to very low levels in relation to overall consumption. Low stocks have contributed to price increases and left very little buffer in case of future crop failures. As grain consumption continues to run above the level of production, stocks may sink further, to dangerously low margins. High costs and low affordability also mean billions cannot eat healthily or nutritiously. It is believed that numerous people suffer from hunger in Asia but hunger is expanding fastest in Africa.
World hunger is also a result of food wastage. It is believed that one-third of the food produced around the world is never consumed. Some of the factors responsible for food losses include inefficient farming techniques, lack of post-harvest storage and management resources, and broken or inefficient supply chains. Moreover, the current pandemic situation has led to more problem affecting world hunger.
A report by the World Food Programme (WFP) states that the severity of food crises gripping vulnerable populations has increased due to COVID-19 pandemic. This situation is dangerous as it has the potential to push even more families and communities into poverty and distress. The report estimates that due the pandemic another 83 million people, and possibly as many as 132 million, may go hungry in 2020 as a result of the economic recession triggered by COVID-19.
