Is a Hunger-Free World Possible?

Share this Article:

Humanitarians are fighting hunger in a world of waste

Imagine a world where hunger is a distant memory, where every person has access to nutritious food, and where there is no poverty. Is a hunger-free world possible or is it unrealistic? Today more than 783 million people  grapple with hunger even as we witness a simultaneous crisis of food waste. The world squanders over 1 billion meals a day, according to the UN.  Behind every statistic lies a human story. Each wasted meal represents not just food lost but a human life burdened by hunger.

A recent report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) paints a grim picture of the current global food crisis. Acute food insecurity is set to increase in both magnitude and severity across 22 countries and territories, according to the report.  We live in a world defined by the stark contrast of abundance and scarcity. Why can’t we feed the less fortunate and close the gap?

The answer is not that simple. What makes it more complicated is the interplay of ongoing conflicts, coupled with the climate crisis and economic stressors, according to the UN report. These factors are pushing millions of people to the brink.

 

Hunger hotspots

In total, 22 countries/territories are classified as “hunger hotspots”, where high levels of acute food insecurity are expected to further deteriorate. According to the report, Palestine,  Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali remain at the highest alert level and require the most urgent attention. “The situation in the five hunger hotspots of highest concern is catastrophic. People are experiencing an extreme lack of food and face unprecedented enduring starvation fueled by escalating conflicts, climate crises and economic shocks. If we are to save lives and prevent acute hunger and malnutrition, we urgently need a humanitarian ceasefire, and to restore access to and availability of highly nutritious food, including reactivating local food production. But this alone is not enough; we need longer-term stability and food security. Peace is a pre-requisite for food security. Without peace and stability, farmers cannot grow food, harvest or sustain their livelihoods. Access to nutritious food is not just a basic need – it is a fundamental human right,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

Famine could be a reality in Gaza

The report highlights the regional fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza, which has led to increased tensions in Lebanon, while also warning that the La Niña weather pattern could impact climates through March 2025, further threatening fragile food systems in an already vulnerable region. As violence escalates and environmental conditions deteriorate, the challenges of delivering adequate food assistance grow increasingly complex.

In Gaza, famine could be a reality as hunger soars to critical levels, warns the WFP.  It is estimated that 41 percent of the population, or 876,000 people, will face “emergency” levels of hunger from November until the end of April. Nearly 16 percent, or 345,000 people, will experience the most serious “catastrophic” levels.

Accounts from humanitarian workers reveal the heartbreaking reality of mothers witnessing the “slow and painful death’’ of their babies and toddlers from starvation. “No one is suffering more in this war than those who have yet to utter their first word. This war is causing an entire generation of children to lose their childhood and future,’’ according to Hiba Tibi, Country Director for CARE in West Bank and Gaza. “We also know that those who survive starvation will suffer cognitively and physically for the years to come. Children’s bodies, hearts, and minds will be impacted for their entire future.’’ Last June, a 38-year-old mother arrived at a Save the Children clinic with severe fatigue and muscle wasting. She weighed just 38kg (84 lbs).

“We know how to prevent malnutrition, we know how to treat malnutrition, but we aren’t being given the opportunity to do it. Severe and significant aid restrictions and heavy fighting means we can’t run clinics like we normally would, and have done in countless other emergencies before, to save lives,’’ said Rachael Cummings, Save the Children’s team leader in Gaza.

‘’Without immediate humanitarian efforts and concerted international action to address severe access constraints and advocate for the de-escalation of conflict and insecurity, further starvation and loss of life are likely,” the report warned.

Out of global spotlight, Sudan is starving

While global attention focuses on the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, Sudan is enduring its own devastating crisis in a forgotten war with 12 million displaced, around 150,000 lives lost, and half the nation facing starvation. When it’s not bullets, it’s hunger that kills the Sudanese. The brutal reality is that war is tearing Sudan apart.

In Sudan, where the Zamzam camp in North Darfur – home to more than 400,000 displaced people – has become a tragic symbol of famine, the situation is equally dire. The UN report draws attention to the risk of famine in other areas of Sudan, where ongoing conflict and displacement have made access to food nearly impossible.

In a grim forecast, South Sudan faces a dramatic rise in hunger, with projections indicating that the number of people facing starvation and death could nearly double from April to July 2024 compared to the previous year.  An estimated 2.3 million people in South Sudan are projected to experience emergency levels of food insecurity, particularly in Pibor and Aweil East counties.

Meanwhile, Haiti is also bracing for worsening food insecurity amid rising gang violence, which is driving increased displacement. By early 2025, approximately 2 million people in Haiti are expected to face emergency levels of acute food insecurity, with 6,000 at risk of catastrophic conditions.

Mali, Chad, Lebanon, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen are hotspots of very high concern, with a large number of people facing critical acute food insecurity, coupled with worsening drivers that are expected to further intensify life-threatening conditions in the coming months, the report warns.

“Worldwide, conflicts are escalating, economic instability is rising, and climate disasters are becoming the new norm. With more effective political and financial support, humanitarians can and will continue to implement proven and scalable solutions to address hunger and reduce needs over the long term,” said Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director.

“It’s time for world leaders to step up and work with us to reach the millions of people at risk of starvation – delivering diplomatic solutions to conflicts, using their influence to enable humanitarians to work safely, and mobilizing the resources and partnerships needed to halt global hunger in its tracks,” added McCain.

Have we grown numb to the staggering statistics?

As new conflicts emerge and old ones continue to grow, many food crises build year after year, leaving humanitarians increasingly faced with dwindling resources and a significant funding shortfall. We have also grown numb to the staggering statistics.

For some, a hunger-free world seem unrealistic, as echoed by voices from the field, including a doctor who observes that not everyone holds an optimistic perspective.

Dr. Zuhal Eraslan, a postdoctoral associate in New York, says the problem does not solely arise from insufficient food supplies, wars, climate change, pandemics, or poverty.

“It also stems from greedy consumption and a lack of common sense,” she told Envoy Magazine. “A world free of hunger is unrealistic because hunger and greed are two human instincts encoded within our genes. Thus, it would be like living in a Smurf-like society without Gargamel.”

There is no clear answer to whether a hunger-free world is achievable or simply unrealistic, but the words of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu serve as a moral reminder: ‘‘If everyone who wants to see an end to poverty, hunger, and suffering speaks out, then the noise will be deafening.”

 

About The Author

Share this Article:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *