After triumphs in the fight against malnutrition, warning signals are starting to spread again. Climate change and armed conflict are the two main reasons for this. They especially affect the poorest farmers in Africa. What matters now:
At the end of March, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sounded the alarm. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated in its food crisis report that the number of people who are suffering from acute hunger, namely people who are threatened with starvation, has risen to 124 million. A dramatic increase: In 2015, the number was at around 80 million.
After a steady decline, the number of people suffering from chronic hunger increased again for the first time in 2016 to 815 million people. That's 11 percent of the world's population. According to the World Health Organization, hunger is the biggest health risk in the world. More people are dying from it than from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. In addition, there are about two billion people who are malnourished. They lack important nutrients such as minerals and vitamins. Although their limited diet fills the stomach, it weakens the body, spreads disease and can be fatal in the worst-case scenario. So, what we are referring to here is "hidden hunger". If malnourished women get pregnant, they have a higher risk of dying or miscarrying as a result of their pregnancy. Even if this worst-case scenario does not occur, their children are already missing important nutrients before birth and their physical development is severely impaired. Malnutrition in this phase therefore has a significantly negative effect on an entire human life.
Between 2000 and 2014, the number of children with developmental deficiencies due to malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa rose from 50 to 57 million.
Nearly half of all children who die under five die due to inadequate nutrition. That's about three million children a year. Children who are chronically malnourished will suffer physical and cognitive impairment throughout their lives. Developmental damage due to malnutrition in the womb and in the first two years of life, the first 1000 days in a person's life, can never be made up for later. As adults, these people on average have a 20 percent lower income and carry a significantly greater risk of continually living in poverty. This manifests itself not only in the affected individuals, but also in the economy of poorer countries. Depending on the extent, these countries lose 2 to 16 percent of their gross domestic product solely because of the effects of malnutrition on the population. The African continent is particularly affected by malnutrition. Between 2000 and 2014, the number of children with developmental deficiencies due to malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa rose from 50 to 57 million.
Armed conflicts, such as in Somalia, South Sudan or North-east Nigeria, as well as climatic changes and increasingly frequent weather extremes such as droughts or floods have further exacerbated the problem of malnutrition. The poorest countries are particularly vulnerable. According to the Germanwatch Global Climate Risk Index, over the past 20 years, the African continent has been hit hardest by natural disasters - with devastating effects for local people. In particular, if they cannot make provisions to compensate for the effects of extreme climates, farmers will no longer be able to till their fields. Especially in states with poor governance, shortages are usually inevitable for the population.
Nelson Mandela accurately observed during his lifetime: "Poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings." Granted, there will not be one big solution to finally put an end to poverty and hunger in the world. But by joint action and political will the number of starving people has been reduced by 216 million since 1990. Despite an increase in the world population by about two billion people. The proportion of malnourished people in the world has also dropped from 19 to 11 percent over the same period.
These numbers show: Poverty and starvation can be overcome worldwide. However, it is now important to further intensify, coordinate even better and increase the effectiveness of global efforts. The fact that the numbers are currently turning negative again for the first time after years of positive development should serve as a reminder and an incentive. We need to break the vicious circle of poverty, starvation and conflict while keeping climate change in mind as well. There will not be one big solution, but many measures that can make a big impact together. Many children already benefit from simple vitamin A supplements and age-appropriate foods for infants and toddlers against malnutrition. Pregnant women often lack the necessary minerals which they, for example, can absorb via appropriate medicines. Ultimately, however, access to balanced and sufficient food must be guaranteed. Moreover, the right hygiene practices can counteract malnutrition and save lives when these are at risk.
In 2050, nearly ten billion people will live on Earth and the population on the African continent will have doubled. Agriculture will therefore play a key role in the future in two ways. On the one hand, because Africa, with its large arable land areas, undoubtedly has the potential to provide for itself. On the other hand, because agriculture can help provide young people with job prospects. Every year, 22.5 million new people enter the labour market on the continent, rightly hoping to find employment. Agricultural growth can make a significant contribution to this and has been eleven times as effective in combating extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa as growth in other sectors.
To strengthen this sector, work in agriculture must be made more attractive to young people and women in the agricultural sector must finally be given the same rights as men. They account for about half of all agricultural work in Africa, but only about 15 percent of all landowners are women. Both their access to means of production and their land ownership rights must be secured in many countries. There are laws that discriminate against women in over 150 countries around the world. It should not be an exception, but instead a rule, that women can officially register or even inherit their own land. This benefits the entire society. The development organisation Bread for the World (not to be confused with the German organisation “Brot für die Welt” with the same name), has recently shown that there is generally less malnutrition for children in countries with greater gender equality. In addition, giving women in the world equal access to means of production such as seeds, fertilizers or technical equipment would increase agricultural yields by 20 to 30 percent and economic output by 2.5 to 4 percent. This would permanently rid up to 150 million people from chronic hunger.
In general, we observe that those who are most affected by the effects of climate change are the ones who are least likely to cause climate change. Again, many African countries are particularly affected, especially countries in the Sahel zone. Nevertheless, the continent receives only 20 percent of international climate funds. In addition, bilateral development funds that benefit African countries are in decline.
In order to put an end to hunger, a combination of several factors is important: sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture, the targeted support of small farmers, rural development, which leads to a socially acceptable structural change, and a holistic nutrition strategy. In addition, innovations such as climate risk insurance can help mitigate the negative effects of natural disasters.
Ultimately, it is essential to increase the overall investment in education, employment and social empowerment of young people. The classic donor countries and the partner countries themselves are both called for here. Doubling investment in the three areas could lead to an annual growth of the African gross domestic product by $500 billion over the next 30 years. This corresponds to about one third of its previous economic performance. Sub-Saharan countries have an obligation to develop employment strategies for rural youth. The donor countries can support them with financial and technical means.
There is not a single excuse to fall short on providing for what is needed here. Not to act would not only be immoral but also strategically unwise. Never before has there been so much wealth in the world as now. Hunger and extreme poverty are things we cannot afford and waiting is not an option. This is what the heads of state and government around the world will need to be measured against. And we will be watching closely.
