SDG Series – Zero Hunger – Sustainable Development Goal 2

Is achieving Zero Hunger possible???

In 2015, leaders from 193 different countries agreed on 17 global goals they felt the world needed to achieve by 2030. The second of these goals is Zero Hunger, which is about creating a world free of hunger!

What is the aim of this SDG?

The main goal of SDG 2 is to create a world that is completely free from hunger by 2030. The main aims are to completely end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

The world is currently on the verge of a global food crisis, with millions of people experiencing hunger.

Currently 821 million people experience hunger daily, with 100+ million enduring chronic hunger due to many different factors.

The global food supply system has been particularly under pressure due to a cascading combination of growing conflict, climate-related shocks and widening inequalities. As many as 828 million people may have suffered from hunger in 2021. With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine posing an additional threat to food insecurity, it is more important than ever to address the root causes of this global crisis.

Although poverty does cause hunger, hunger Is also a key contributor and maintainer of poverty, if a person doesn’t get enough food, they lack the strength and energy that is needed to work.

This can lead to a vicious cycle, especially for children. If a mother is malnourished during her pregnancy, this can then be passed on to her child, which can be felt over a lifetime. In 2020, 22% of children under the age of five worldwide, which is about 149.2 million children, suffered from stunting (low height for age) as a direct result of malnourishment.

Sustainable Development Goal 2 aims to achieve zero hunger by 2030 and ensure access to sufficient food all year round.

Are we on track to achieve this SDG?

The short answer is NO! but this does not mean we cannot get on track, there is still hope!

Based on current trends it is not likely that we will achieve zero hunger by 2030, it is estimated that people living with hunger will surpass 840 million people by 2030. Like a lot of social issues, zero hunger is interlinked with many other issues such as climate change, gender equality, conflicts and many more! A Lot of the time progress can depend on other external factors.

For example, if a region is reliant on a particular crop, rising global temperatures that contribute to extreme weather such as droughts and extreme rainfall can contribute to shortages of that crop and directly affect the food supply and production in that area. As you can see from this example the way we handle climate change directly affects SDG 2. In this scenario, if we directly reduce our emissions that are contributing to this, we can positively influence the successful implementation of Zero hunger.

Saying this, food security and achieving zero hunger is a complex problem which requires short-, medium- and long-term solutions! Achieving this goal requires various approaches such as safeguarding and transforming food systems to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable world, investments in rural and urban areas and social protection so that poorer people have access to food and can improve their livelihoods!

A world without hunger is possible! We must develop a more systematic approach to food security and agricultural resilience which will transform our food systems and support this goal!

What can you do to help this SDG?

Although we do need our governments on board to achieve this SDG there is also a lot we can do as individuals to help push forward the targets of Zero Hunger!

1. Reduce food waste - Approximately 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year, and about 35% of this food is thrown out by supermarkets, shops, and households with a lot of it still being fresh enough to eat! If we reduce our food waste, we could save enough food to feed two billion hungry people!
2. Shop locally - Another action you can take is shopping locally and in season! This helps support local farmers in your community and by buying in-season foods you help with sustaining local, native crops and plants. This in turn helps preserve the genetic diversity of crops! Maintaining genetic diversity in food production across the world is one of the targets of SDG 2, increasing crop resistance against pests and increasing yields!
3. Support an organization or charity that focuses on SDG 2! Show your support to organizations that are seeking to end world hunger by volunteering your time, donating food, and spreading the word about them online! Some organizations you could get involved with are below.

Food Cloud: https://food.cloud/

World Food Programme: https://www.wfp.org/

Concern: concern.net  

Action Against Hunger: https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/

Mercy Corps:  https://www.mercycorps.org/

Be the change you wish to see!

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Thank you for reading today.

The FSG Team 💚