Global Report on Food Crises 2023 

26 Jul 2023 Global Report on Food Crises 2023 

This article covers “Daily Current Affairs” and the topic details “Global Report on Food Crises 2023”. The topic “Global Report on Food Crises 2023” has relevance in the “Social Justice” section of the UPSC CSE exam.

For Prelims:

What is the Global Report on Food Crises 2023? Who are its publishers? 

For Mains:

GS2: Issues relating to poverty and hunger. 

GS3: Food Security 

Why in the news?

The 2023 Global Report on Food Crises was published recently.

Global Report on Food Crises 

• The GRFC 2023 is published by Food Security Information Network (FSIN) in support of the Global Network against Food Crises (GNAFC).
• It helps understand acute food insecurity in 2022 globally, regionally, and at the country level.
• This report is the outcome of a collaborative effort involving 16 partners to reach a consensus-based evaluation of acute food insecurity in crisis-affected nations.
• Its purpose is to provide reliable and evidence-based analysis to guide humanitarian and development actions.

 GRFC 2023 Highlights

• The GRFC 2023 shows a concerning trend of increasing acute food insecurity and urgent assistance needs. 
• It reports that more than 250 million people are currently experiencing acute hunger due to factors like economic shocks and the Ukraine war. 
• In 2022, around 258 million people across 58 countries faced acute food insecurity, up from 193 million people in 2021, spanning 53 countries and territories at crisis or worse levels.

GRFC 2023 Key Findings 

• The Global Report indicates that hunger, while not rising alarmingly at a global level, remains well above pre-COVID levels, and progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) is off track. Urbanization’s impact on food security is highlighted.
• New estimates show no improvement in global food insecurity for 2022 compared to the previous year. Approximately 2.4 billion people lacked adequate food access, 391 million more than in 2019. The prevalence of undernourishment also remained high, affecting around 9.2% of the global population in 2022, up from 7.9% in 2019.
• Positive aspects include a decline in stunting and child wasting among children under five years old, but there was a non-significant increase in overweight or obese children.
• The report reveals that nearly 3.2 billion people worldwide couldn’t afford a healthy diet in 2020, with a slight improvement in 2021. The cost of a healthy diet rose globally by 6.7% between 2019 and 2021. 
• Additionally, it predicts that around 600 million people will suffer from chronic undernourishment by 2030.

Key drivers of food insecurity

The report attributes the rise in food insecurity to various factors, such as – 

• the lockdowns and economic downturns in 2020, leading to job losses and reduced incomes
• Ukraine war 
• less favourable government policies
• increasing urbanisation’s impact on agrifood systems

Interestingly, the report finds that food insecurity is lower in urban areas when compared to rural and peri-urban populations.

What are the solutions ahead?

• Identifying Vulnerable Groups for Targeted Policies and Programs: The report helps identify vulnerable population groups and provides evidence for decision-making and effective action through targeted policies and programs. 

• Sound nutrition: Sound nutrition is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and the report emphasises the need for government policy, civil society, and private sector support.

• Promoting Healthier Food Outlets and Addressing Street Food Challenges: Some recommendations include promoting healthier food outlets to improve access to healthy diets. Policy incentives should encourage shops to sell more fresh and minimally processed foods. The report also highlights the significance of street foods, consumed by around 2.5 billion people daily, and calls for addressing infrastructure and regulatory gaps to enhance their nutritional safety and quality.

• Enhancing Rural Infrastructure for Agricultural Development: Building rural infrastructure, like quality roads and linkages between farms and enterprises, is another important suggestion. Public investments in warehousing, cold storage, electrification, digital tools, and water supply can support small farms and medium enterprises.

• Local Governments’ Vital Role in Ensuring Access to Healthy Diets: The report stresses the vital role of local governments in implementing essential policies to make healthy diets available and affordable for all through multilevel and multi-stakeholder mechanisms.

Sources: 

Explained | What has to be done to get to Zero Hunger? – The Hindu

Yojna daily current affairs eng med 26th July 2023

Q1. With reference Global Report on Food Crises 2023, consider the following statements: 

1. The Global Report highlights the impact of urbanization on food security, indicating that food insecurity is generally lower in urban areas compared to rural and peri-urban populations. 
2. According to the report, the Ukraine war is one of the key drivers of food insecurity globally. 
3. The Global Report suggests that there is positive progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only 

(d) None 

Answer: (a) 

Q2. Consider the following reports/indices:

1. Global Report on Food Crises 
2. Food Price Index
3. State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
4. Global Hunger Index (GHI)

How many of the abovementioned reports/indices are published by Food and Agriculture Organization?

(a) Only one 

(b) Only two 

(c) Only three 

(d) All Four 

Answer: (b)

Q3. In 2023, global food insecurity is influenced by climate change, population growth, and geopolitical conflicts. Policy measures are needed to tackle these challenges effectively. Analyse. 

Gaurav N