World Hunger on a Wild Ride: 2024’s Numbers and the Road Ahead
Since the pandemic’s boom in 2020, the number of folks grappling with hunger has kept climbing, and last year’s tally hit a new high. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and World Health Organisation (WHO) put out a 2022 snapshot that shows:
- 828 million people—roughly 9.5 % of every human on the planet—went hungry last year.
- That’s 46 million more than 2020 and 150 million more than 2019.
- Between 2015 and 2019, the figures were pretty steady, a little like a calm sea before the storm.
Why Things Are Getting Worse
Three big troublemakers are pulling the levers on this crisis:
- The Russia‑Ukraine war has thrown food, fuel, and fertilizer prices into a roller‑coaster mode.
- Climate change is turning the planet into one heck of a sauna, drying up rains and making growing a mess.
- Long‑term consequences of the COVID pandemic still echo through supply chains and food markets.
David Beasley, WFP’s executive director, warns that the numbers could climb higher if we don’t act fast.
WFP’s Take‑away: Act Now!
“The danger’s real—if we don’t hop on the wagon now, we’re looking at even more pressing problems,” Beasley says, sounding as serious as a kettle about to boil over. He adds:
- “Price spikes in food, fuel, and fertilisers—sparked by the war—could tip some countries straight into famine.”
- “The fallout would be global destabilisation, widespread starvation, and a mass migration spree on an unprecedented scale.”
- “We have to act today to avert this looming catastrophe.”
In simpler terms: the world’s food supply chain is under pressure, and we’re all on the same dartboard. If the traps are not fixed, a big portion of humanity could experience the very real terror of a food crisis. Luckily, there’s still time if we work together and make our voices heard.
<img alt="" data-caption="Somali displaced girl Sadia Ali, 8, drinks water from a tap at the Kaxareey camp for the internally displaced people in Dollow, Gedo region of Somalia, on May 24, 2022.
PHOTO: Reuters file” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”339748ae-02ed-48f2-9f1f-f100d5d9fcd5″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/B2JMITEMYJI43IG6WVOQUQ6B5Q.jpeg”/>
When the World Feeds on a Bit of Chaos
Picture the globe as a giant pantry. At the top, Russia and Ukraine sit like mother‑boards, packing the world’s third and fourth largest grain sacks. Russia also rolls out fuel and fertilizer like a multi‑tasking chef that never runs out of spices.
But war? That turns the pantry into a disaster zone. Export lines get twisted up, food prices shoot past the clouds, and the tick of the calories‑in‑price‑tag threatens to keep developing nations glued to the stove while they’re still struggling to eat after Covid‑19 crashed the supply chain.
UN’s Latest “Sober Wake‑Up Call”
On July 6, the United Nations dropped a report thicker than a keto cookbook, warning that the swirling mix of conflict, climate craziness, economic blows and inequality is basically turning the planet into a giant culinary crisis. It estimates that, in 2020, 22 % of children under five were on the “stunted” list, and a spooky 6.7 % (that’s about 45 million) were “wasting” – a severe form of malnutrition that can raise death risk by up to 12 times.
Why Seeds Aren’t Growing
The report shouts out for a complete farm‑policy makeover. The global food sector pulls in almost $630 billion a year (about S$885 billion), but that money has been acting like a bad influencer: it pushes up prices, misses the tiny farmers, hurts the environment, and decidedly favors calorie‑rich staples (cereals, sugar, meat, dairy) over the soulful slice of nutritious veggies, fruits, pulses, and seeds.
Imagine the world’s buffet table: most guests keep getting the heavy mass, while the colorful, nutrient‑packed plates get ignored.
WHO Enters the Kitchen
Every year, 11 million humans check out of the world due to unhealthy diets – and rising prices just make the journey faster. WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus voices this: He supports countries baking healthier food systems by:
- Taxing bad foods (think sugary soda, processed snacks)
- Subsidizing good foods (fruits, veggies, pulses)
- Shielding kids from harmful marketing
- Ensuring nutrition labels are crystal‑clear
Because when you’re fighting a war over supplies, the best defense is a healthy plate in every hand.
