How can we contribute to the buildup of healthy and sustainable food systems?

Abstract

Ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture is the goal of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger by the year 2030. The reality is that the closer we get to 2030, the further we move away from achieving this goal. Despite the efforts made, current global events (the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, climate variability, and economic weakening) have contributed to one of the largest increases in global hunger recorded in years. One in ten people in the world suffers from undernutrition, one in four is overweight, more than one third of the world’s population cannot access a healthy diet, 20% more women than men live in extreme poverty, and more than 18% of Indigenous women live on less than 1.90 USD per day. Due mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people who suffered from hunger in 2020 was 15% higher than in 2019, and an additional 132 million or more people could be added to the 690 million who already suffer from hunger.