Famine is on the decline but affects 800 million people

It is the first time since the United Nations has tackled this global scourge that the number of people suffering from hunger in the world has fallen below the 800 million mark. In any case, this is what affirms the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) in its latest report published on Wednesday.
In all, 72 countries have halved the proportion of their populations affected by famine. On the other hand, 10% of the inhabitants of the planet remain concerned by this undernutrition.

A rapid decline in less than two decades

Ultimately, the number of undernourished people will have fallen by nearly 200 million since the early 1990s as the world’s population increases. The progress is mainly notable in Asia and Latin America, where the governments of the countries concerned have taken adequate measures to stem the famine and its consequences. On the other hand, it is sub-Saharan Africa which is still in bad shape. Indeed, nearly a quarter of its population (23.2%) is undernourished.

Affected countries at war

Countries at war are now among the areas most affected by potential famines. Thus, as the report states, nearly 366 million people live in this difficult context. Among them, there are 129 million undernourished. Today, especially in the Middle East and Africa, conflicts (ethnic, religious, etc.) extend over time, making it difficult for a large part of the population to access food.

Achieve the millennium goal

At the dawn of the 2000s, it was decided by the United Nations that hunger should be halved in the next fifteen years.
This “millennium goal”, we learn, was reached by 72 developing countries (out of 129). “The near achievement of the MDG hunger targets shows us that we have the capacity to end hunger in our lifetime. We must be the Zero Hunger Generation. This goal should be mainstreamed in all policy interventions and at the very heart of the new sustainable development agenda that will be put in place this year, ”explains José Graziano da Silva, Director General of FAO.

Next step, eradication

Ultimately, FAO’s goal is to eradicate hunger in the world. For this, the United Nations hopes for better agricultural activity in the areas concerned, with the help of the various governments. The development of small-scale agriculture and family crops would indeed be a fairly quick and simple way to fight against famine. It is therefore planned to use the growth of these developing countries by including the entire population.
Finally, the will of the United Nations is to develop social protection in these countries, in order to protect the most vulnerable households by offering them, for example, school meals and food vouchers. This protection has already proved its worth in countries which have seen famine decrease in their territory.

An equally European problem

However, European and developed countries must not look away from the realities that exist in their territories. Indeed, many conflicts exist in the world, causing significant population movements. Thus, Médecins du Monde (MdM) had recently sounded the alarm bells concerning migrants present on French territory. In fact, one in two would not have enough to eat at the moment.