Editorial: Wage war on hunger

Food insecurity is our new normal, where climate change, conflict, and economic instability are pushing those on the margins even further

India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, has banned exports of non-basmati white rice to “ensure adequate availability” and “allay the rise in prices in the domestic market”. India accounts for over 40% of all global rice shipments. Russia suspended the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations (UN) and Turkey last year, that had allowed safe passage for around 36 million tonnes of food from Ukraine, with more than half reaching developing countries. As of June, 2023, 20 countries have implemented 27 food export bans and 10 have applied 14 export-limiting measures at a time when over 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. No wonder, the UN has painted a grim picture on global food security. The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report published by five UN agencies states that 2.4 billion people or 29.6% of the global population did not have constant access to food, around 900 million individuals faced severe food insecurity, and 148 million children suffered from stunted growth. The heads of these five agencies state: No doubt, achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of Zero Hunger by 2030 poses a daunting challenge. Indeed, it is projected that almost 600 million people will still be facing hunger in 2030. The major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition are our new normal, where climate change, conflict, and economic instability are pushing those on the margins even further from safety.

Many countries are struggling with high domestic food prices. Central banks around the world are yet to win the fight against inflation. Even staples such as tomatoes are getting out of reach. Europe is in the grip of a heatwave, and the European Space Agency has warned that the heat wave is only just beginning. These are bound to have a severe impact on crop yields. The El Niño weather pattern is bringing warmer temperatures. A study estimates El Niño alone could cost the global economy around $3 trillion this year. Experts fear a new spike in food prices, which will add to the woes of the countries with ‘weak’ currencies and burdened by debt as they transact in dollars. Almost half of humanity — around 3.3 billion people — live in countries that spend more money paying interest on their debts than on education or health. “3.3 billion people is more than a systemic risk, it is a systemic failure,” UN chief António Guterres had warned. In 2022, global public debt reached a record $92 trillion. All these only means food will be less affordable and people will get less to eat. But none of these has shaken the warring world, made it step back and focus on real issues. A devil-may-care attitude is in instead of getting our act together with Godspeed.

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