"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Hunger is an alarm signal sent by the body when the stomach is empty and the blood sugar level decreases. Malnutrition occurs when the body adapts to the prolonged absence of food, losing weight and functioning more slowly.
More than 700 million people, or 10% of the world population, still live in extreme poverty and is struggling to fulfil the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation, to name a few. The majority of people living on less than $1.90 a day live in sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, the poverty rate in rural areas is 17.2 per cent—more than three times higher than in urban areas.
Global Hunger Rising: UN Report
Zero Hunger
821 million
The number of undernourished people reached 821 million in 2017.
63%
In 2017 Asia accounted for nearly two thirds, 63 percent, of the world’s hungry.
22%
Nearly 151 million children under five, 22 percent, were still stunted in 2017.
1 in 8
More than 1 in 8 adults is obese.
1 in 3
1 in 3 women of reproductive age is anemic.
26%
26 percent of workers are employed in agriculture.
Zero Hunger
Closing the Gender Gap
The Zero Hunger Challenge
Food Prices and The Market
Website: UN Sustainable Development Goals
This website provides facts, targets, printouts, links and related stories and videos about SDG 2 - Zero Hunger.
It is time to rethink how we grow, share and consume our food. If done right, agriculture, forestry and fisheries can provide nutritious food for all and generate decent incomes, while supporting people-centered rural development and protecting the environment.
Right now, our soils, freshwater, oceans, forests and biodiversity are being rapidly degraded. Climate change is putting even more pressure on the resources we depend on, increasing risks associated with disasters, such as droughts and floods. Many rural women and men can no longer make ends meet on their land, forcing them to migrate to cities in search of opportunities. Poor food security is also causing millions of children to be stunted, or too short for the ages, due to severe malnutrition.
Website: SDG Goal Tracker
SDG 2 Targets
This website provides facts, targets, and related stories about programmes contributing to SDG 2 - Zero Hunger.
2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.
2.2 By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons.
2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
Website: UN Development Programme
This website provides facts, and related stories about SDG 2 - Zero Hunger.
The number of undernourished people has dropped by almost half in the past two decades because of rapid economic growth and increased agricultural productivity. Many developing countries that used to suffer from famine and hunger can now meet their nutritional needs. Central and East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have all made huge progress in eradicating extreme hunger.
Unfortunately, extreme hunger and malnutrition remain a huge barrier to development in many countries. There are 821 million people estimated to be chronically undernourished as of 2017, often as a direct consequence of environmental degradation, drought and biodiversity loss. Over 90 million children under five are dangerously underweight. Undernourishment and severe food insecurity appear to be increasing in almost all regions of Africa, as well as in South America.
