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As UN’s 2030 ‘Zero Hunger’ goal looms, over 700m people still fight starvation worldwide

As UN’s 2030 ‘Zero Hunger’ goal looms, over 700m people still fight starvation worldwide
Naledi Sikhakhane
By Naledi Sikhakhane
14 Oct 2024
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The Sustainable Development Goals aim to achieve ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030, but progress on fighting hunger has faced repeated setbacks. Ahead of World Food Day, a UN Food and Agriculture Organization agronomist unpacked the problem.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) agronomist Sina Luchen has helped alleviate hunger through humanitarian aid and advice on food security across Africa for almost two decades.

“Every human being deserves access to decent, safe, nutritious and culturally acceptable food that is produced in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner,” Luchen said on what drives him.

Progress on fighting global hunger had been set back 15 years, leaving about 733 million people going hungry in 2023, equivalent to one in 11 people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest UN State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report published in July 2024.

It said that in 2023, about 152 million more people were undernourished compared with 2019.

In South Africa, 63% of households were food insecure in 2023, according to the National Food and Nutrition Survey, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council.

Social justice conference


Luchen is participating in the 5th International Social Justice Conference taking place at the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town this week from 16-17 October 2024.

This year, the conference aims to unpack the path to the “Zero Hunger” goal in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Experts who are working towards food security will workshop the way forward to come out with workable solutions. It coincides with World Food Day on 16 October, which is themed “right to foods for a better life and a better future”.

The FAO said the right to food “stands for diversity, nutrition, affordability, and safety. A greater diversity of nutritious foods should be available in our fields, in our markets, and on our tables, for the benefit of all.”

Goal 2 of the SDGs aims to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030. The goal is to end hunger, and ensure access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food for all people, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

Ahead of World Food Day, we asked Luchen to unpack the problem and discuss solutions.


Why are there so many hungry people in the world?


“The high number of hungry people in the world is a reflection of the failure of existing agri-food systems in meeting the food demands of the growing global population, and to ensure the enforcement of frameworks and mechanisms to enable food access to the vulnerable segments of society.

“In southern Africa, the number of food insecure people has been on an upward trajectory from around 5.5 million in 2012 to now 61 million in 2024. This is of serious concern. Poor food governance, climate change, land degradation, conflict and socio-economic shocks are among the key drivers of food insecurity in the world.

“Conflict, climate variability and extremes, economic slowdowns and downturns, lack of access to and unaffordability of healthy diets, unhealthy food environments, and high and persistent inequality continue to drive food insecurity and malnutrition all over the world, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024,” said Luchen.

What can we do to create consistent access to food?


“We should ensure inclusion of right to food principles, adequate financing for Food and Nutrition Security, and provide for accountability of relevant actors through adoption, implementation and enforcement of laws and regulations, including the domestication of Pan-African Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security adopted in 2022, as well availing relevant budgets for action.

“The agri-food systems need urgent transformation to enable them to provide for availability and access to adequate, healthy, nutritious and culturally acceptable food for every person, including for the most vulnerable.”

What do governments need to do to create sustainable food systems?


“Government should create the enabling environment for transformation of current agri-food systems to make them more sustainable, viable and resilient.

“This should be anchored on sound policies, legislation, procedures and regulatory and other institutions, knowledge, finance/investments, social safety nets and a coordinated approach that includes all agri-food systems stakeholders with due consideration of interests and needs of vulnerable groups, especially women, children and elderly.

“Because the first hurdle in agri-food systems starts at production level, governments should accelerate the scaling up of proven and context-specific sustainable and resilient food production pathways through [the] application of ecological and nature-based solutions.

“These include diversified production, regenerative agriculture, crop-livestock integration, water harvesting and irrigation, renewable energy for farm power, conservation agriculture, agroforestry and improved post-harvest storage, to mention but a few.”

Read more: Food inflation may be cooling but prices aren’t coming down fast enough 

Will you be addressing the summit and conference, and, if so, what can delegates look forward to hearing?


“Yes, I will be honoured to be a participant and also a panellist at the summit. This will give me an opportunity to share both the concerns I have about our current food security trajectory as well as the great opportunities for reversing the trend through an inclusive, science and technology-backed agri-food systems transformation agenda that will ensure regular, permanent and unrestricted access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food for all - leaving no one behind.”

Read more: Loaded for Bear: Hunger in southern Africa reaches historic levels in El Niño’s wake

When asked about his history and whether he believes the world can reach the Zero Hunger goal, Luchen said he strongly believes that with goodwill and concerted transformation efforts by agri-food system stakeholders, it is possible to turn the tide on hunger and food insecurity.

“Throughout my life, I have observed what hunger and food insecurity can do to the dignity and wellbeing of a person. Yet, I have always believed that there is no justifiable reason for society to allow any person to find themselves in such an unfortunate predicament.

“It is this passion for a change in the paradigm that led me to join the FAO, whose mandate is to fight hunger and food insecurity in the world … In doing this, the dignity and wellbeing of millions of people suffering food insecurity will be restored.”

Other speakers at the 5th International Social Justice Conference include former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, ministers from relevant government departments and policymakers from across the African continent. DM

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