Photo credit: concerned worldwide
Africa may overtake Asia as the continent with the hungriest people in the world by 2030.
Five UN agencies stated that there was a “clear trend” of rising undernourishment in Africa.
Africa already has the highest proportion of people lacking nutritious food (20.4%). However, over half of the world’s hungry people live in Asia. In 2923, 384.5 million people in Asia faced hunger, compared to 298.4 million in Africa.
The president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Alvaro Lario, said the situation is grave and projected to worsen unless action is taken. “In a decade, because of population growth and current dynamics, (the problem) will be harder to solve, with a much higher number of people in Africa suffering from chronic hunger,” Lario said.
With a more significant focus on local production, crop diversification, fertilizers, and more public investment, Asia is doing better than Africa.
The report said that if current trends continue, almost six hundred million people will be chronically undernourished by 2030, with 53% living in Africa.
The president of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation, which represents 25 million food producers, Elizabeth Nsimalda, said, “We are losing the battle against hunger, especially in rural communities where many of the people who produce the food we eat are unable to feed themselves and their families.”
An estimated thirty-three million smallholder farms are in Africa. They produce up to 70% of the continent’s food supply.
Diana Onyango, head of Farm Africa’s technical team, said the climate crisis is a factor impeding food security in Africa.
Conflict is another major factor affecting food security in Africa.
