Three measures to avoid a food crisis

During the United Nations General Assembly held a few days ago, 18 presidents and heads of state, including Spain, attended a summit on the food crisis in which they promised to combat it as a priority.

One of the conclusions has been: as long as there is hunger there will be no peace and, without peace, there will continue to be hunger.

It is good news that the food crisis is being scrutinized and that hunger is part of the political priorities and the debate of public opinion.

The political and emotional impact of a conflict like the one in Ukraine and the socioeconomic (and political) impact of a global crisis give us the opportunity to focus political capital and resources to tackle both the effect of hunger and the factors that cause it.

More information

How to fix a broken food system

What really hides a food crisis is the suffering of millions of people: 828 in 2021;

today even more.

And the important thing is to discuss the measures that are within our reach to avoid the current emergency and the next ones.

In addition to significantly increasing the investment in resources to address the most urgent impact of this crisis (the United Nations global humanitarian appeal estimates that 41,000 million euros are necessary, of which only 37.5% has been covered so far), we highlight three measures that, from Action Against Hunger, we consider essential to address the factors that generate serious food insecurity.

The first is to pursue the use of hunger as a weapon of war.

We know that violence generates hunger;

in fact, half of those 828 million people who suffer from it in the world, suffer it in a context of violence.

We have a United Nations Security Council resolution, 2417, which establishes the prohibition of the use of hunger as a weapon of war.

To be clear: it is about detecting and persecuting those who are destroying crops, requisitioning livestock or preventing humanitarian assistance in any type of conflict (the war in Ukraine or the conflicts that are being experienced in the Sahel are being a determining point in this sense).

Let's tackle the problem of hunger to achieve a safer world that will help us end inequalities

Second, expand nutritional coverage and basic health services universally.

Today, only one in five children under the age of five enjoy these essential life-saving services, meaning that of the 16 million children affected by severe acute malnutrition, nearly nine die each year.

These services could be achieved by increasing up to 3% of the national budget, the amount devoted to nutrition programs in the most exposed countries.

An effort that can only be undertaken in a shared way between the States most affected by this scourge and by the international community.

To achieve universal coverage, the third measure is necessary, the incorporation of the fight against malnutrition as a priority and fundamental axis of human development through policies and programs in sectors as diverse as health, social protection or economic reintegration. and employability.

Ridwan, 16, prepares breakfast for her family on the morning of June 14, 2022, in Dudumale of Nugaal, Somalia.

Due to drought and rising food prices, nomadic communities have been struggling in this dry period.Said Musse (Action Against Hunger)

Malnutrition (maximum exponent of hunger) has multiple factors and must be addressed in the same way.

On the other hand, we cannot concentrate efforts on combating it only when acute crises occur in periods of drought, displacement or acute violence, but continuously and relentlessly, addressing the challenges of policies with little scope, programs with little resources and outdated methods.

In years of good rains and a low incidence of violence, figures of 400,000 children affected by severe acute malnutrition have been recorded in the Sahel.

This year, with drought and conflicts in the region, the million and a half mark has been reached.

These measures must be accompanied by political will and resources.

If the war in Ukraine has uncovered a food crisis that, on other occasions, would have been hidden, let us take advantage of the circumstance to address this and the next ones to come.

But structurally, approaching them from their complexity and with medium and long-term measures that guarantee sustainability.

At the summit held, the link between hunger as a factor of conflict, and this, in turn, as a key factor in hunger has been made clear.

It seems very simple to understand: let's face the problem of hunger to achieve a safer world that helps us to end inequalities.

That will always be the best policy we can make for the future of people and the planet.

Manuel Sánchez Montero

is director of advocacy and Institutional Relations at Action Against Hunger.

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