Rein Paulsen, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nations (FAO) Emergencies and Resilience Office, said that the next edition of the Global Report on Food Crises – a 17 agency report that examines global acute food insecurity and that will be issued at the end of April – will likely show an even steeper growth in 2021.
In a statement to Emirates News Agency (WAM), Paulsen said, “Acute food insecurity – the type that requires humanitarian assistance – has been rising for the past five years, reaching 161 million people by September 2021 compared with 108 million people at the end of 2016. Over the last few years, we have seen an annual increase of about 20 million people.”
“Ending hunger is possible, even in the most complex contexts,” he added. “But doing so requires political commitment, adequate resources and strong partnerships. It also requires inclusive partnerships, at the global, regional, national and local levels, built upon shared values and a common vision of the future with people and the planet at the centre.
“That is at the heart of this year’s DIHAD Conference and the only way we can achieve Agenda 2030 and the only way we can truly end the scourge of hunger.
When asked about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) progress, Paulsen said, “The road of achieving the SDGs has been rocky across the board. Almost three years ago, the High-Level Political Forum already warned that the world was off-track in meeting the SDGs. FAO, as the custodian of 21 SDG indicators, and a contributing agency for a further five, has been monitoring these indicators with alarm. In particular, our achievement of SDG 2, zero hunger, appears to be moving ever faster out of reach.
He added that the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have further accelerated the decline, depriving millions of access to income, food and education. Disrupted food supply chains and economic slowdowns have affected food systems worldwide.
Paulsen continued, “Recent events, including the experience of COVID-19, have spotlighted just how global and interconnected our agri-food systems are, meaning that situations affecting one country can be rapidly felt across many borders and right across the world. And, together, with climate change, have exposed the fragilities of our agri-food systems.”
On the possibility of achieving SDG 2 “Zero Hunger”, he said, “Globally, agri-food systems are under assault. Achieving SDG 2 requires that we invest in these systems, even in the most fragile contexts, in line with our commitment to leave no one behind. Failure is simply not an option. We must meet these goals.”
At least two-thirds of the people experiencing acute hunger are farmers, fishers, herders and forest-dwellers. Paulsen noted that these figures are even higher in many food crisis countries.
“In South Sudan, this is as high as 95 percent. In Afghanistan, four out of five of the estimated 22.8 million people projected to be in acute food insecurity from now through March 2022 are rural. Rural livelihoods – farming and livestock production – are key ‘centres of gravity – if they fail, then there is a very real risk of total system collapse.
“When these systems collapse; when suddenly, large portions of a population cannot access food, significant food security deterioration can emerge rapidly. Yet, this is not reflected in our collective humanitarian response,” he explained.
When asked about the role of emergencies and humanitarian funds in agriculture, the Director stated that “Agriculture is massively underfunded in emergencies”.
“The latest evidence from the Global Network Against Food Crises shows that while funding to the food security sector has been consistently high, within that, allocations to agriculture have significantly decreased, accounting for about 8 percent of funding.”
“Agriculture is among the most cost-effective humanitarian frontline interventions: saving lives today and securing food for tomorrow and the day after,” he elaborated.
However, agriculture not only offers an immediate means to halt hunger but lays the pathway for resilience building and out of the crisis. Alongside humanitarian agricultural assistance, large-scale investments in addressing vulnerabilities and the root causes of acute food insecurity are critical.
On DIHAD’s role in achieving the SDGs and its role to the globe respond to food security, he said, “DIHAD 2022 is all about partnerships and cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. At FAO, we see partnerships as the key element to overcome the many challenges we face in transforming agri-food systems at the scale needed to make a lasting impact on hunger.”
Source: Emirates News Agency