Leave no one behind – fulfilling our promise

World Food Day: Op-Ed by Dr Jacqueline Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT

Figure: Dr Jacqueline Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT.

ICRISAT News

On September 20, 2022, on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, several nations, including the United States of America, the European Union and the African Union, came together to issue an appeal to governments, organizations and private industry to collaborate and respond to the urgent global food security needs of billions of people around the world.

The hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa has reached alarming levels as the region is now dealing with a fifth consecutive failed rainy season and a prolonged drought that began in October 2020. According to aid agencies, more than 37 million people in the Horn of Africa are facing acute hunger while nearly nine million livestock has perished. Somalia may be the worst hit where more than 700 children died of malnutrition this year.

This tragedy is not only happening in the Horn of Africa. Hunger and malnutrition are a part of daily life for many millions around the world. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis as it magnifies inequality, poverty, and displacement and may increase the likelihood of conflict. Women and girls face multiple protection concerns, such as their safety in new resettlement sites, fear of exploitation, and violence stemming from changes in gender roles due to the loss of or injury to male family members. Young girls often must walk long distances to fetch water and fuel putting them at risk of kidnapping and sexual violence.

Our current food and agriculture systems have failed the world’s most vulnerable populations, culminating in humanitarian crises using up resources that could have been better invested in creating agriculture infrastructure, or funding agriculture research to meet the food and nutrition security needs of countries and regions, particularly those impacted by climate change. Armed conflict, global supply chain disruptions, high levels of inflation and weather extremes are the main drivers of acute food insecurity across the 20 hunger hot spot regions of the world according to a recent joint FAO-WFP publication.

At the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, more than 100 UN Member States endorsed the Roadmap for Global Food Security – Call to Action issued in May 2022 at the Global Food Security Ministerial Meeting. Among the seven specific lines of action endorsed by the Member States, two actions stand out for their long-term impact on building resilient food systems: a) Accelerate efforts to support sustainable agriculture and food systems, through strengthening agricultural productivity, particularly in the most affected countries to build their resilience and support domestic production, including as appropriate through efforts to support an energy transition that is just and equitable, to make them more resilient and available to producers of all scale, including smallholder farmers; and b) Increase investments in research and technology to develop and implement science-based and climate-resilient agricultural innovations, including seeds, that contribute to building sustainable and resilient agricultural sectors and food systems.

See more: https://pressroom.icrisat.org/leave-no-one-behind-fulfilling-our-promise