According to the World Hunger Index and reports by various UN agencies, food insecurity is on the rise across the globe, especially in Asia and Africa. The 2022 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) paints a gloomy pictureof the global food situation.

The report, jointly compiled by key United Nations agencies, says that world hunger rose to over 800 million in 2021, as severe food insecurity became more prevalent with 11.7 per cent of the global population experiencing alarming shortage of food. At the same time, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet around the world rose to almost 3.1 billion.

Previously, only the poorer, less developed countries found it difficult to provide enough nutritious food to their people, but now even in developed countries, the problem of food insecurity is worsening. The major factors accentuating the crisis include climate change, conflicts and wars, economic shocks and growing income inequalities between and within nations.
Additional factors are the war in Ukraine and, in the case of Pakistan, the devastating floods of 2022. The disruption of supplies from Russia and Ukraine which are two of the biggest global producers of staple commodities, including wheat, maize, and sunflower, has led to growing food shortage all over the world.

It is relevant to add here that achieving zero hunger is one of the key goals of the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2015-2030. The SDG 2 seeks to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. At the halfway mark towards the end of the SDG timeline, zero hunger remains an elusive goal. By 2030, it is also projected that there will be as many as 3 billion more people on earth. If hunger and food insecurity is so problematic now, what will be the fate of the world population in the coming days? That is the question.

Rising food insecurity should be a high priority issue for the government of Pakistan.The National Food Security Policy framed in 2018 draws attention to the linkages between food security and national security in these words: “There should be periodical deliberations of the National Food Security Council on the issues of agricultural development and food security.” The NFSC also emphasizes full support to the agriculture sector at the highest level to achieve the twin goals of food and the national security forthe country.

The number of people vulnerable to food insecurity in Pakistan has risen alarmingly in recent years. According to official figures, two-thirds of Pakistan’s population, spending less than three-quarters of a US dollar a day, live near or below the poverty line. It is estimated that as a result of last year’s floods, over 9 million people more fell below the poverty line.

Lately, low-income groups have beenfurther hit hard by inflation, especially food inflation.According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, on an average a common household spends about 40 percent of its income to buy food items.With food prices spiking and the rupee fast losing its value, the purchasing power of low-income households has declined steeply.

Needless to say, this is going to further exacerbate Pakistan’s already fragile food security situation. It may be added here that a five per cent increase in global food prices heightens the risk of wasting among children by nearly nine per cent. This means that several million more Pakistani children would be wasted this year in addition to the existing five million because of the very high food inflation in the country.

Needless to say, Pakistan’s food security situation has worsened due to the failure of successive governments to address the issue in a comprehensive manner. For example, no serious effort has ever been made to tackle the worsening water crisis, regulate the quality and prices of agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, and bring cultivable barren lands under cultivation.

Experts are of the opinion that if remedial action is not taken immediately, food insecurity could pose an existential threat to Pakistan. Raging food inflation as evidenced by long queues for free atta and widespread hunger could lead to social and political unrest, public disorder and violence.

A two-step strategy is needed to deal with the looming food crisis. In the first instance, a system of targeted subsidies should be devised for low-income groups in urban centres and poor rural families so that they have an easy access to food. Simultaneously, strong punitive measures should be taken to tackle the menace of hoarding and black marketing. In the second stage. Long term plans should be framed for the exploitation of our vast, unutilized agricultural resources. The time to act is now. Otherwise it will be too late.