A look at the numbers: Global food insecurity is at a five-year high

United Nations report shows pandemic’s effect on world hunger

Compiled by Business Record Staff

 The United Nations issued a stark warning in its 2021 Global Report on Food Crises, which revealed that conflict, economic disruption and climate-related events are continuing to push millions of people into acute food insecurity, according to the report issued last week.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fragility of the global food system and the need for more equitable, sustainable and resilient systems to nutritiously and consistently feed 8.5 billion people by 2030. A radical transformation of our agri-food systems is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations World Food Programme and the United States Agency for International Development in a joint statement released with the report.

The authors of the report went on to say that “long-term environmental, social and economic trends compounded by increasing conflict and insecurity are eroding the resilience of agri-food systems.”

Iowa is known for feeding the world and for its leadership in developing strategies to address food insecurity. Take a look at the most recent snapshot of global hunger.