The food security conundrum

Global leaders at the second UN Food Systems Summit recently held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa called for urgent, coordinated action to tackle mounting food insecurity worldwide.

People in the Central African Republic wait for food distribution from FAO.

The UN summit brought together political leaders from across the globe, heads of UN agencies, international organisations, as well as representatives from the private sector and civil society.

Global hunger formed the backdrop to the conference, with 8.2% of the global population—approximately 673 million people—facing hunger. While this marks the third consecutive year of declining hunger rates, the overall picture remains concerning, with 2.3 billion people still living with moderate or severe food insecurity, an increase of 335 million compared to 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

In Africa alone, the situation is alarming, with over one billion people—roughly two-thirds of the continent’s population—unable to afford a healthy diet in 2024. The rate of moderate or severe food insecurity in Africa is twice the global average of 28%.

What’s particularly worrying is that food prices are exceeding many people’s purchasing power, with one-third of the world’s population currently unable to access healthy diets, while one-third of global food is lost or wasted. Rising food prices are eroding purchasing power and threatening food security. Climate change and conflicts are further exacerbating global poverty and hunger.

Organisations warn that without price controls, millions of people, particularly children, will face acute malnutrition and stunted growth. Prolonged droughts, abnormal flooding, and increased natural disasters have devastated crops in many regions, driving sharp increases in food prices. Large commodity price fluctuations have severely affected consumers, especially low-income groups. Conflicts have disrupted supply chains, pushing many regions—particularly the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and the Middle East—to the brink of famine.

Global leaders stressed that food insecurity is an urgent global political and economic issue and the root cause of conditions such as poverty, conflict, terrorism, and forced migration. In this context, it is essential to ensure financial flows into agriculture, rural transformation, infrastructure, and nutrition improvement.

African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf emphasised the necessity of reforming the global food system to address pressing sustainable development challenges. In efforts to reform the food system, countries need to strengthen cooperation and mobilise finance and investment for accelerating action towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In a video message to the conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also highlighted the urgency of realising the shared commitment to food systems that are inclusive, sustainable, equitable, resilient and rooted in human rights.

Facing geopolitical challenges and climate change pressures on the global food system, the message delivered by leaders through the Ethiopia conference was a collective affirmation of shared responsibility in building healthy, sustainable food systems to better withstand future shocks, prevent famine, ensure food security, and achieve sustainable development goals.

NDO