The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers 17 goals, the second of which is “zero hunger”, namely: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. (Click here for details)

Under this major goal, there are eight targets, the first of which is “By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.”

●  Current Situation

About the World

Report on Food Crises, UN: 113 Million Still in Acute Hungry Globally

The United Nations and other organizations jointly released “Global Report on Food Crises 2019” in April, 2019. It is indicated that the total number of people in hunger globally is 821.6 million, among which approximately 113 million people in 53 countries experienced high levels of food insecurity in 2018, slightly decreased compared with the number in 2017, 124 million. According to the current progress, the world will not be able to achieve the goal of eradicating hunger by 2030.

Photo by World Bank/Jamie Martin

It is indicated in the report that despite a slight decline in the number of people suffering from acute hunger, the number going chronically-hungry has remained well over 100 million over the past three years, with the number of countries affected rising. Moreover, an additional 143 million people in another 42 countries are just one step away from acute hunger.

Text source: un.org

About China

China Has Made Remarkable Achievements in Eliminating Hunger

The achievements of China’s fight against hunger are impressive and have made outstanding contributions to “poverty and hunger alleviation” in the world. China is one of the few countries that have achieved the goal of “alleviating hunger” ahead of schedule and a goal in the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, which is to halve the proportion of hungry people in the total population from 1990 to 2015.

China’s continuous profound and innovative research in agriculture has enabled this country to achieve remarkable achievements in this field, and also allowed China to help more developing countries cope with numerous global challenges in a sustainable way. Among them, biotechnology, ecological agriculture and climate intelligent agriculture play an important role in improving agricultural output and farmers’ quality of life. In addition, China is very strong in information and communication technology. With the increasing popularity of communication technology, China’s small-scale farmers are making new and efficient attempts to cope with the challenges of price, weather, finance, etc., and their lives have been comprehensively improved. All of these depend on China’s cutting-edge researches to a large extent, and China is actively sharing these cutting-edge technologies with the world, so that many countries can benefit from them.

China’s modern agricultural technology is developing rapidly. (Source: wxrb.com)

Text source: people.com.cn

●  Cases

About the World

African Countries Struggle to Find Food Security Solutions to Tackle Hunger

The food security situation in sub Saharan Africa is grim, and the number of hungry people continues to rise after years of decline. Compared with 2015, the population on food deficit of sub Saharan Africa increased 32.6 million in 2017, nearly half of which came from West Africa, and one third from East Africa. This threatens the efforts of the entire African continent to eliminate hunger.

In order to ensure food security and solve the long-standing problem of hunger, African countries and international organizations have been trying to find countermeasures. In Zimbabwe, the UN Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and local agricultural technology promotion centers tested an early action mode of food safety in five administrative regions of the Mwenezy region. By promoting the cultivation of small drought resistant small grains, the resilience of small farmers that were affected was improved.

Under the framework of China-Africa cooperation, China’s development experience is also helping Africa to increase its independent food production capacity and agricultural technology. According to statistics, China has signed memoranda of understanding or protocols on agricultural cooperation with 16 African countries, assisted in building 20 agricultural technology pilot centers in 19 African countries, and dispatched 71 expert groups to 37 African countries, tried out more than 300 kinds of crops in African countries and taught more than 500 practical technologies, benefiting about 1 million farmers.

Photo by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Text source: people.com.cn

About China

Taking the Responsibility of Stabilizing Food Security, Loving and Saving food

On October 16, the opening ceremony of the Guangdong venue of the 2019 World Food Day and National Food Security Publicity Week was held in Pinghu grain depot, Shenzhen. Ten “provincial food safety publicity and education bases” were announced. Lectures and interactive Q & A on food safety knowledge were held, and a proposal on food conservation was issued. Meanwhile, more than 10 grain enterprises in Shenzhen carried out on-site display and promotion of famous and excellent grain and oil products. More than 300 citizens participated in the event.

(A scene of the opening ceremony. (Source: Development and Reform Commission of Shenzhen Municipality)

The theme of this year’s World Food Day is “Our actions are our future. Healthy diets for a zero hunger world.” The theme of the National Food Security Publicity Week is “to shoulder the responsibility of food security and build a powerful country in food industry”. With the profound changes in the mode of agricultural production and operation, the situation of grain supply and demand, and the system of grain collection and storage, the task of structural reform on the supply side of grain is arduous. We need to take effective measures to accelerate the reform of grain collection and storage, improve the system of grain security, and strengthen the grain industry and economy.

Shenzhen citizens are widely involved. (Source: Development and Reform Commission of Shenzhen Municipality)

The event for World Food Day and the National Food Security Publicity Week helped citizens of Shenzhen understand the situation of food security in Guangdong Province, promoted the innovative development, transformation and upgrading of the food industry, and helped the building of a more efficient and sustainable food security system with higher level and quality in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Text source: fgw.sz.gov.cn

●  Background

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiated by the United Nations

On January 1, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 169 targets, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force. Countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.