The world is nowhere near the goal of zero hunger by 2030 amid uncertain global development financing. What now?

In the wake of a series of recent crises that drove up global hunger and food insecurity, the world remains far off track in meeting Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2)—ending hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Now, in a chaotic global environment of still more crises and complications, including cuts in official development assistance, what is the best course forward for governments and development organizations to address these urgent problems?

On April 22, 2025, an IFPRI global policy seminar—Ending Hunger and Malnutrition: Keeping our Eyes on the Road—explored these challenges. Held in collaboration with the World Bank to coincide with the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings, the event convened a who’s-who of key stakeholders in international efforts to fight hunger, featuring high-level speakers from most major development organizations.

Here are some main takeaways from the event:

We are way off track to meet SDG2

• “The news is not good. After several decades of progress, we are steadily drifting away from the zero-hunger goal.”—Shobha Shetty, Global Director, Agriculture and Food, World Bank.
• In 2024, “733 million people live in chronic hunger,” with numbers notably rising in Africa.—Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
• “Poverty, hunger, and malnutrition have been stepped back in terms of global priorities, but need to be the forefront.”—Alvaro Lario, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

However, it isn’t all bad news: FAO data indicates that if South America maintains its current progress, it is on track to achieve zero hunger by 2030.

‘Uncertainty’ describes the current state of the world

Countries and organizations face the ongoing hangover from the COVID-19 pandemic, fallout from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, increasingly frequent climate-driven extreme weather events, growing geopolitical tension, and the very recent dramatic shifts in international trade policy and development assistance. This uncertainty affects all policymakers, food system actors including smallholder farmers, and development practitioners—who worry about reduced funding for programming and for research to generate evidence needed to inform the next steps.

However, as many speakers pointed out, uncertainty may also open up new possibilities, potentially triggering shifts in the political economy around these topics:

• “We should also look at this [uncertainty] as an opportunity… It’s clear that the status quo we had … was not delivering a zero-hunger society, and it was certainly not delivering a sustainable, nutritious society.”—Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI.
• Regarding the political economy of repurposing agricultural subsidies to finance for food system investments by local governments: “What wasn’t possible politically a few years ago, might be possible now.”—Martien van Nieuwkoop, Director, Agricultural Development, Gates Foundation, who also spoke of the potential role for defense ministries to support efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition.

Given these challenges, how do we ‘keep our eyes on the road’?

What are the next steps for international stakeholders to make progress on ending hunger and malnutrition now and for the future? While many exciting ideas were discussed, here are some which seemed to have consensus among multiple stakeholders:

1. Continue to convene and coordinate key stakeholders to build consensus on new strategies for investment, financing, and messaging. In addition to the seminar itself, one example highlighted was the March 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris.
2. Maintain work in fragile and conflict-affected settings. “Today there are 120 active conflicts in the world—the highest number since the Second World War,” noted Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). In response, WFP looks for ways to reduce hunger in conflict settings while strengthening agrifood systems—for example, locally procuring large amounts of food aid in Sudan despite the conflict. Even more concerning are reports by the Munich Security Conference about food deprivation being used as a weapon in “hybrid warfare,” linking issues of food security to international security. Along these lines, IFPRI’s recent 2023 Global Food Policy Report highlights current research and new opportunities for managing food crises.
3. Pursue regional market integration, especially in Africa, and invest in complementary infrastructure where trade has the most potential. For example, Alice Ruhweza, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) advocated for developing agricultural transport corridors in Africa “to get food from where it can be grown to where it is needed.” IFPRI Research Fellow Emeritus Joseph Glauber noted the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area to boost economic activity in the region, while van Nieuwkoop pointed to the need to place a special focus on non-tariff barriers. 
4. Encourage governments to prioritize hunger and nutrition even in their agricultural policies. For example, John Henry Steenhuisen, South Africa Minister of Agriculture, spoke of his government’s efforts to align its agricultural agenda with public health goals, as opposed to its traditional focus on imports and exports. Arnel de Mesa, Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns and for Official Development Assistance (ODA) and spokesman for the Philippines Department of Agriculture, explained efforts by his agency to build resilience in the country’s all-important rice sector, so rice remains affordable while allowing consumers to also increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables.
5. Engage the private sector, especially in ways that enable smallholder farmers to participate in regional and global markets. Several speakers stressed the need for greater derisking of private sector investments to scale up much-needed funding. Ayodeji Balogun, CEO of the Africa Exchange (AFEX), highlighted the importance of commodity exchanges that enable groups of smallholder farmers to collectively fulfill large orders from multinational firms. Matthias Berninger, Executive Vice President and Head of Public Affairs, Sustainability and Safety, Bayer Global, spoke of the company’s investment in increasing seed production capacity in Southern Africa, making a strong pitch for public-private partnerships, with governments supporting infrastructure and providing an enabling environment while calling for additional research on how to make agricultural insurance work for smallholder farmers.

Personally, I found the seminar invigorating: As policymakers, international organizations, and food system stakeholders are grappling with what comes next in international development, some are calling for a “back to basics” approach. In my opinion, there is almost no simpler humanitarian goal than eliminating hunger and malnutrition—making sure that people have enough nutritious food to lead healthy and productive lives. We know the issues are complex and challenging, but if we work together to develop and bring together evidence-based solutions, I remain hopeful that the world can fulfill IFPRI’s mission of “A world free of hunger and malnutrition.”

James Allen IV is an Associate Research Fellow with IFPRI’s Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit. Opinions are the author’s.

Watch the full seminar here.