{"id":91201,"date":"2021-08-16T05:47:27","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T05:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alj.com\/?post_type=spotlight-fadyjameel&p=91201"},"modified":"2021-09-30T08:47:31","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T08:47:31","slug":"nutrition-critical-combatting-food-security-in-a-post-pandemic-world","status":"publish","type":"spotlight-fadyjameel","link":"https:\/\/alj.com\/en\/spotlight-by-fady-jameel\/nutrition-critical-combatting-food-security-in-a-post-pandemic-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutrition Critical: combatting food security in a post-pandemic world"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a world that produces enough food to feed its entire population, more than 1.5 billion people cannot afford a diet that meets the required levels of essential nutrients and over 3 billion people cannot even afford the cheapest healthy diet.[1]<\/sup><\/a> I believe this a travesty that can \u2013 and must \u2013 be urgently addressed. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Global hunger has been rising since 2014.\u00a0 Recent estimates put the number at 690 million people, or 8.9% of the world\u2019s population.\u00a0 In 2019, close to 750 million\u2014or nearly one in ten people\u2014were exposed to severe levels of food insecurity.\u00a0 And around 2 billion didn’t have regular access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food.\u00a0 At the current rate, there will be more than 840 people affected by hunger by 2030.[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

And these estimates were before COVID-19, which has heaped unprecedented pressures onto an already failing system.\u00a0 As the World Bank states[3]<\/sup><\/a>, \u201cCOVID-19 impacts have led to severe and widespread increases in global food insecurity, affecting vulnerable households in almost every country.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So, how exactly has the pandemic affected the key drivers of food insecurity, and what can we do to combat famine and undernourishment?<\/p>\n

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COVID-19 is aggravating food shortages across the global south with reserves under pressure.
\nPhoto Credit \u00a9 Reuters\/Afolabi Sotunde<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What causes food insecurity?<\/h2>\n

Food insecurity can be categorized as chronic or acute.\u00a0 Chronic food insecurity is typically attributed to poverty.\u00a0 In other words, people who regularly cannot afford a healthy, balanced diet, or even one that meets their basic energy requirements.\u00a0 Acute food insecurity is defined as when a person’s life or livelihood is in immediate danger because of a lack of food.\u00a0 The primary causes of acute food insecurity are conflict, climate (including extreme weather events), natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, health and population displacement (including migration).\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, many of these factors are mutually reinforcing:\u00a0 Conflict disrupts supply chains and leads to famine; famine breeds conflict, ill health and displaced populations, and so on.<\/p>\n

For people who don’t have enough to eat, it’s especially disheartening to learn that 30% of the food we produce on the planet is never even consumed[4]<\/sup><\/a>, a topic I explored in more depth a previous Spotlight article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How has COVID-19 affected food insecurity?<\/h2>\n

\"UNThe United Nations World Food Programme (WFP<\/a>) estimates that, in the countries where it operates, 272 million people are already or are at risk of becoming acutely food-insecure due to the aggravating effect of the COVID-19 crisis.[5]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Such are the concerns that in March 2021, the UN Secretary-General, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, announced a task force to prevent famine.[6]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 <\/sup>Led by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and including representatives from WFP and FAO, the task force will aim to bring coordinated high-level attention to famine prevention and mobilize support for the hardest-hit countries.<\/p>\n

\"Ant\u00f3nio
UN Secretary-General, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe upheaval that has been set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic may push even more families and communities into deeper distress [\u2026]\u00a0 We have the tools and the know-how.\u00a0 What we need is political will and sustained commitment by leaders and nations<\/em>,\u201d said Ant\u00f3nio Guterres at the launch of the task force.[7]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Disruption to food supply was always going to be a concern as the pandemic took hold. \u00a0The 2007\u20132008 food crisis was still fresh in the memory, during which several key rice and wheat producing nations limited exports in response to broader global economic uncertainties, leading to food shortages, price spikes and civil disobedience in over 30 countries.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, most major exporters have so far kept trade flowing between borders. \u00a0However, there have been numerous disruptions to food travelling within countries, largely as a knock on effect from measures intended to curb the spread of the disease.[8]<\/sup><\/a> \u00a0Closed freight lines led to rotting stocks in African depots, while lockdowns in India and Malaysia, which prevented all movement within and out of the country, forced farmers to dump produce or feed it to livestock because they could not transport it to urban markets. \u00a0Fear of interruption to supplies also sparked panic buying in several countries. \u00a0For example, Singaporeans cleared shelves of fresh vegetables, eggs and chicken, until government announcements and food trucks managed to reassure them that supplies would not be interrupted.[9]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Lockdowns and social distancing have also limited the availability of materials and labour to grow, process and handle food. \u00a0North America, for example, has struggled with the reduced influx of migrant labour and Chinese farmers were in desperate need of fertilizers and seeds to plant crops for the following season, until the government made exemptions for \u201cgreen channels\u201d. \u00a0Farm groups in various countries have warned that initial disruptions may result in reduced varieties of some crops and smaller harvests.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, I\u2019m pleased to note that recent global harvests have generally been good, which means we may escape the worst potential scenario.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO<\/a>) estimates that a new global record for grain production was hit in 2020\u2014some 2.7 billion tons of rice, wheat, corn, and barley.<\/p>\n

(There are some significant exceptions: East Africa is facing its worst locust outbreak in decades.[10]<\/sup><\/a>)<\/p>\n

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Furthermore, counter to predictions at the outset of the pandemic, global food prices have increased but, in most cases, have not spiked, as was feared.\u00a0 As of June 15, 2021, The Agricultural Commodity Price Index remained near its highest level since 2013.\u00a0 The rise can be attributed in part to the supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19, although it should be noted the figures remain well below those of the recession between 2007 and 2009.<\/p>\n

Increased food prices on their own don\u2019t account for the concern caused by COVID-19.\u00a0 Only when the loss of income is factored in does the magnitude of the threat become clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The global recession caused by COVID-19 is the largest since World War II.\u00a0 According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF<\/a>), the global economy contracted by 3.5% in 2021.[11]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Lockdowns and social distancing have helped to counter the spread of the disease.\u00a0 They have also cost the equivalent of 500 million full-time jobs.[12]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Those working in low- and middle-income countries and the informal economy have been hit worst.\u00a0 The United Nations Development Program estimates that COVID-19 will cost developing countries over US$ 200 billion in income.[13]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 The crisis has also lead to a 7% decrease in remittances\u2014money transferred from foreign workers to families back home\u2014which total around half a billion US dollars each year.[14]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Higher food prices and lower, or nonexistent, incomes are a potent recipe for food insecurity.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood supply disruptions and the lack of income due to the loss of livelihoods and remittances as a result of COVID-19 means that households across the globe are facing increased difficulties to access nutritious foods and are only making it even more difficult for the poorer and vulnerable populations to have access to healthy diets,\u201d <\/em>warns UNICEF in its \u201cState of Food Security\u201d report.[15]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The most vulnerable suffer the most<\/h2>\n

It is a worrying fact that COVID-19 has made life much harder for those already struggling.\u00a0 People in emerging economies already spend far more on food as a ratio of household income.\u00a0 For example, middle-class families in the United States only spend around 10% of their income on food.\u00a0 In many low-income countries, it’s closer to 50%. Moreover, in many regions affected by conflict, the price of a single meal can far exceed daily incomes.[16]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just people in the developing world, though.\u00a0 COVID-19 has made life harder for vulnerable people in wealthy nations, too.<\/p>\n

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There have been bare shelves in the USA too through the pandemic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Northwestern University, 23% of American households have experienced food insecurity, almost twice as many as before the pandemic.[17]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

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Food insecurity is more commonly associated with rural populations, but because COVID-19 has impacted jobs across the board, urban dwellers have been disproportionately forced into poverty\u2014particularly in low- and middle-income countries that depend on tourism and have large numbers of informal workers.<\/p>\n

\"IFPRIThe International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI<\/a>) estimates that poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is likely to increase by 15% in rural areas and 44% in urban areas.[18]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Harder to eat healthily<\/h2>\n

Starvation is not the only threat.\u00a0 When money gets tight, people tend to consume cheaper, less nutritious foods\u2014favoring energy-rich starchy grains over more expensive, nutrient-dense foods like vegetables.[19]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

According to UNICEF<\/a>, healthy diets are estimated to be, on average, five times more expensive than diets that meet only dietary energy needs through a starchy staple.[20]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to the economic crisis, COVID has also disrupted the complex supply chains which these foods need to stay fresh. Furthermore, school closures have meant that almost 39 billion school meals have been missed since the beginning of the pandemic, with 400 million students losing a critical lifeline.[21]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 A poor quality diet can lead to long-term health problems and more susceptibility to infection and disease.<\/p>\n

It could get much worse . . .\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Economic stimulus packages, debt deferments for low- and middle-income countries, and various safety net programs helped to avert the worst of the food crisis in 2020.\u00a0 Despite some notable exceptions, food supplies largely held up last year because governments heeded UN warnings about closing borders and setting tariffs, and harvests were generally good.<\/p>\n

However, many people have exhausted their food reserves, cash, and family support and are thus more vulnerable to further food insecurity.\u00a0 The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that 272 million people face acute hunger today, up from 135 million last year.[22]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 \u201cWe are once again sliding towards the brink of the abyss,\u201d<\/em> warned WFP Executive Director, David Beasley, in March 2021.[23]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

What can we do about it?<\/h2>\n

The two most significant threats to food security \u2013 conflict and climate \u2013 are complex longstanding challenges requiring global coordination.\u00a0 COVID-19 has made things worse but is, by comparison, a short-term problem that \u2013 with the right level of investment, commitment and collaboration \u2013 can be tackled through a variety of measures, such as:<\/p>\n