Food security is a term that describes the availability and access to food in sufficient quantities and quality for people to lead healthy and active lives. Despite remarkable progress in recent years, the world remains challenged by food insecurity. This article by Darren Dohme examines the current state of global food security and future projections for 2023.
Darren Dohme on The State Of Global Food Security In 2023
As the world population continues to grow, so makes the demand for food, and with climate change potentially harming agricultural productivity, ensuring food security has become more critical than ever. According to Darren Dohme, it is estimated that global food demand will rise by 50% by 2050. This increase presents unique challenges, including that the current food production, distribution, and marketing structures do not favor the most impoverished nations.
In recent history, global hunger rates have been on the decline, but this trend has been reversed since 2016. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) reported that in 2020, 768 million people suffered from severe food insecurity, equivalent to one in ten people. The primary cause of food insecurity was conflict, followed by climate shocks and economic downturns.
According to the Global Report on Food Crises 2021, 155 million people in 55 countries faced acute food insecurity at Crisis, Emergency, or Catastrophe levels in 2020. Specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated food insecurity in vulnerable countries. This highlights the need for policies that address such crises directly.
As we approach 2023, the global food security outlook is expected to worsen in the short term, given the COVID-19 pandemic’s lasting effects on agriculture, trade, and the economy. Simultaneously, climate change effects, including erratic weather patterns and limited land availability, continue to undermine agricultural productivity.
Moreover, the vulnerability of agriculture to the impacts of climate change is projected to soar in the coming years, causing significant food price volatility, global trade disruption, and increased vulnerability of countries to food insecurity.
Therefore, to tackle the current and future food-security challenges, nations worldwide must act in concert to ensure sustainable and equitable food systems, facilitate more substantial public-private partnerships, promote appropriate technologies, increase investments in streamlining food value chains with modernization and innovations, and promote overall social and economic development.
Providing reliable sources of food to people will require a radical shift in global food chains, from extra-monetary incentives to restructuring our very concepts of growing, harvesting, distributing, and consuming. Such a shift would require innovative measures beyond traditional agriculture, including vertical farming and increased investment that empowers smallholder farmers.
By 2025, the UN proposes to reduce poverty by 50%, which is an essential factor in food security. However, this objective would require transformative approaches to enhance social protection, employment, and rural development. The global community, therefore, must work together on various fronts, from international trade to domestic policies, to address the root causes of food insecurity.
The shift towards sustainable food systems is vital to address food security challenges, says Darren Dohme. Other vital nutrients that are vital to human survival, including iron, calcium, vitamin A, and iodine, should also be considered in the food security spectrum. The UN Sustainable Development Goals aim to achieve zero hunger, assure access to healthy diets, and make the food system efficient and sustainable by 2030.
Darren Dohme’s Concluding Thoughts
In conclusion, ensuring food security is one of the most prominent challenges for humanity, requiring global, comprehensive, and sustainable policies that focus on empowering smallholder farmers and transforming food systems. While technological advancements and sustainable agriculture offer alternatives, the problem requires a holistic and interdisciplinary approach that revolves around social equity, economic development, and policy reformation. According to Darren Dohme, by embracing change and working collaboratively, the world’s countries stand a better chance of achieving their food and nutrition goals in a sustainable manner.