What's New

To end hunger once and for all, we have to increase investment in sustainable agriculture and rural development.

When I took over as EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, I had to face head on the cold, hard facts: nearly a billion people worldwide experiencing chronic food shortage and many millions of children stunted from malnutrition.

Written by Joe Glauber, Senior Research Fellow in IFPRI's Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, and Seth Meyer, Professor at the Department of Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri.

This post first appeared on the IFPRI Event Blog by Ahdi Mohammed and Katarlah Taylor.

After decades of steady decline, the trend in world hunger—as measured by the prevalence of undernourishment—reverted in 2015, remaining virtually unchanged in the past three years at a level slightly below 11%. As a result, more than 820 million people globally were still hungry in 2018, the latest UN State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report finds, underscoring the immense challenge of achieving the Zero Hunger target by 2030.

Poor diets are now the No. 1 risk factor in the global burden of disease (GBD) , accounting for one in five deaths globally. Too much sugar, fat, and red meat increase the risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer—all killers in later life (mostly in higher income countries). Too little nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs, meat, and fish are associated with wasting, stunting, and micronutrient deficiencies in early childhood—all killers in early life (mostly in lower income countries).

Poor diets are now the No. 1 risk factor in the global burden of disease (GBD), accounting for one in five deaths globally. Too much sugar, fat, and red meat increase the risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer—all killers in later life (mostly in higher income countries). Too little nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs, meat, and fish are associated with wasting, stunting, and micronutrient deficiencies in early childhood—all killers in early life (mostly in lower income countries).