business plan on zero hunger

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

This sounds like a lofty goal but it is achievable with the help of businesses playing their part.

Right now, the B Corp community is driving  real change , with  innovative, sustainable solutions  working towards ensuring all people have access to good quality food.

From  regenerative agriculture and new technologies that change the way we farm to programs and tools that increase food security and reduce food waste , companies across the globe are reimagining our entire food system. Learn more and feel inspired to consider the part you can play to achieve this goal.

Find out more about Lotus Foods:  https://bcorporation.net/directory/lotus-foods

Find out more about Too Good To Go: https://bcorporation.net/directory/too-good-to-go-ap-s

Find out more about Raízs:  https://www.sistemab.org/empresasb/raizs

Find out more about Treedom:  https://bcorporation.net/directory/treedom

Find out more about Tierra de Monte:  https://bcorporation.net/directory/tierra-de-monte

Find out more about ecoRobotix:  https://bcorporation.net/directory/eco-robotix-sa

Find out more about Heura:  https://bcorporation.net/directory/foods-for-tomorrow

Transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.

Sign up to our Insights newsletter, a monthly digest of the latest news on economic systems change from B Lab Global.

We take the security of your data seriously, read our privacy policy for further information. For newsletter communications relating to your local region, please visit Global Partner sites to subscribe.

How to End World Hunger: 6 Solutions for Zero Hunger

We are at the crossroads of one of the greatest challenges of our time: How do we end world hunger? There are 828 million hungry people in the world, including 349 million people facing severe hunger. While this is the largest global food crisis in modern history, we have the solutions for a zero hunger world.

In 2012, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Zero Hunger challenge as the U.N. plan to end world hunger. The challenge reflects five elements from within the Sustainable Development Goals which taken together can end hunger. These Zero Hunger solutions can massively transform agriculture and food systems. In addition to these five solutions, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) knows the majority of the world’s hungriest people live in conflict-affected areas. For this reason, we include a sixth Zero Hunger solution: break the cycle of conflict and hunger.

Here is how the U.N. World Food Programme works tirelessly to execute these solutions and end world hunger.

1. Break the Cycle of Conflict and Hunger

With almost 60% of the world’s hungriest people living in conflict affected zones , conflict is the greatest challenge to Zero Hunger .

Conflict and hunger create a vicious cycle. When war erupts, instability forces people to find illicit and sometimes violent means of acquiring their necessities. In this unstable period where access to food is fought over, the risk of social unrest heightens.

The U.N. World Food Programme is on the frontlines of the world’s worst conflicts, going where others can’t to deliver lifesaving food in the hardest-to-reach areas. The agency’s work to solve hunger has contributed to improving prospects for peace – effectively breaking the conflict and hunger cycle. In conflict zones, the U.N. World Food Programme is there to provide food and cash assistance, keep kids in classrooms with school meals and rebuild infrastructure through community projects.

In 2020, the U.N. World Food Programme became the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and was recognized by the Nobel Committee “for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.” The U.N. World Food Programme’s Nobel Peace Prize is a powerful call to action, recognizing the important link between conflict and hunger and the critical role of food assistance as a building block to peace and stability.

How Conflict Drives Hunger

2. increase sustainability and build resilience to climate change.

Climate extremes are one of the main drivers of severe hunger . We have entered a ‘new normal’ where consecutive and extreme weather events – like droughts, flooding, hurricanes and cyclones – decimate farming and drive displacement. As a result, communities constantly operate in recovery mode: Diminished economies, destroyed infrastructure and disrupted access to food significantly reduce people’s capacity to rebuild their livelihoods and prepare for the next imminent disaster.

The U.N. World Food Programme helps communities build resilience to climate change through long-term solutions including:

• Reforestation and land rehabilitation projects
• Climate insurance for small-scale farmers
• Providing local institutions with access to sustainable energy solutions

To tackle the challenges of climate change, food availability and food access, we must also help farmers grow a more diverse range of crops and livestock. That’s why the U.N. World Food Programme teaches farmers new techniques, equips them with tools and educates their communities about the nutritional importance of eating a wide range of foods.

3. Address Poverty & Inequality Through Social Safety Nets

Poverty and inequality are the root causes of global hunger. Imagine being a mother who must forgo her daily meals to feed her children, or a farmer who must sell food rations in exchange for farming equipment.

The U.N. World Food Programme helps governments strengthen national safety nets that safeguard their citizens from poverty, inequality and hunger. By 2030, the U.N. World Food Programme aims to substantially increase people’s access to their national social protection systems – thereby promoting equitable economic growth.

The U.N. World Food Programme is the world’s largest provider of humanitarian cash, distributing cash to over 40 million people across 70 countries . The global food crisis is mainly one of access where record-high prices mean people cannot buy what they need. Where markets are functioning, the U.N. World Food Programme can provide cash-based assistance in the form of bank notes, vouchers, debit cards, e-money or mobile money. Cash transfers empower families to decide how to spend their money while supporting local markets and economies.

Through Food for Assets projects, the U.N. World Food Programme offers food or cash assistance while participants work on community assets like roads, dams and irrigation systems. The community-centered approach of coming together to reinvigorate participants’ environment has extra benefits like promoting nutrition, gender equality and social protection. For example, in Mozambique, the Food For Assets program provides female farmers with opportunities to test out innovative farming techniques designed to build their harvests’ resilience to climate change. Participants may also receive agricultural training, which boosts their income and access to food.

Related Article:

4. help rural farmers connect to markets.

One of the cruelest ironies of hunger is its disproportionate impact on small-scale farmers—the very people who grow food for a living. Small-scale farmers make up the majority of people living in poverty. Their economic losses come from lack of access to production inputs like proper storage, fertilizer and farming equipment as well as constant challenges from climate extremes.

The U.N. World Food Programme works to connect small-scale farmers to local economies while providing them with the resources to improve production, reduce their post-harvest losses, develop business skills and gain access to financial tools.

In over 40 countries the U.N. World Food Programme connects small-scale farmers to markets so that they can supply their own communities with lifesaving food. The program Purchase for Progress (P4P) partners farmers with the private sector, encouraging investments that diversify their crops and expand their business prospects.

5. Reduce Food Waste & Food Loss

The world produces more than enough food to feed everyone, and yet 828 million people still go to bed hungry each night. In high-income countries, 40% of food is wasted because people buy more food than they can consume. In low-income countries, where the vast majority of the world’s hungriest people live, most food loss occurs during the early stages of growth, harvest and storage.

The U.N. World Food Programme is working to eliminate food loss and waste by:

• Providing farmers with modern storage equipment like silos and air-tight bags
• Offering long-lasting foods like flour, dried beans and salt – all properly packaged in sturdy containers
• Investing in innovations like hydroponics that allow communities to grow, sell and store food in the harshest conditions
• Selling and storing food in impossible places due to exposure of extreme temperatures, excess dust and general pollution
• Advocating for policy that distributes American-grown crops to people in need – like the U.S. Farm Bill which supplies the U.N. World Food Programme with U.S. agricultural commodities like rice, corn, wheat and soybeans for people abroad

6. Eliminate Malnutrition in Mothers & Children

45% of deaths among children under age 5 are caused by malnutrition. The first two years of a baby’s life are critical when it comes to receiving the nourishment they need to grow into a healthy adult. From Fortified Blended Foods to High Energy Biscuits, the U.N. World Food Programme ensures millions of children and pregnant and nursing women have access to specialized nutritious food. Last year, the U.N. World Food Programme reached more than 17 million mothers and children with programs to prevent and treat malnutrition.

What You Can Do to End World Hunger

Zero Hunger may seem like an impossible goal, but through these six solutions we can make this dream a reality. The U.N. World Food Programme plays a vital role in that work by:

• Ensuring people in conflict-affected areas will not have food weaponized against them
• Anticipating, responding to and building resilience against the shocks and stresses of climate extremes
• Leveraging social safety nets, cash assistance and infrastructure to financially empower communities and local markets
• Connecting small-scale farmers with the tools they need to maintain sustainable agriculture for their country’s food security
• Making sure that the ample food that is grown across the world does not go to waste due to improper management or redistribution
• Protecting groups affected by or at risk of malnutrition (primarily mothers and children) by supplying them with specialized nutritious foods

You also play a vital role in ending world hunger. There are a lot of ways you can be part of creating a Zero Hunger world like playing the Freerice game, signing advocacy petitions or starting a fundraising campaign. Discover how you can be part of the solution for global hunger.

Unless action is taken now, millions of people have the potential to fall into deeper levels of hunger. We can respond to this global emergency by addressing hunger at its root causes. We all have an obligation to build a future that better serves our planet and all the people that live on it.

Donate to End World Hunger

Related stories.

5 Businesses that Support Ending World Hunger

• Walmart : Walmart’s philanthropy revolves around addressing hunger, health and how to make sustainable food a reality. In 2018, the Walmart Foundation announced a five-year commitment plan to give $25 million in grants to smallholder farmers in India. These funds will give farmers access to better agriculture technology, more sustainable techniques and skill-building.
• Panera Bread : Panera Bread has previously partnered with the World Central Kitchen to provide meals to those suffering from food scarcity. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Panera Bread has partnered with Chef José to continued their philanthropy by providing meals nationwide – beginning with cities in the most critical situations. Panera Bread is not only donating but also offering their kitchens and resources, and partnering with vendors and supply chains to donate excess food.
• General Mills : General Mills is one of the founding members of the Global FoodBanking Network , an international nonprofit organization that aims to create a hunger-free world. General Mills and Global FoodBanking Network understand the importance of food waste and are working with food banks to reduce hunger and malnutrition. Through this partnership, General Mills has been able to provide 201 million meals to those in need since 2010.
• Kraft Heinz Company : The Kraft Heinz Company Micronutrient Campaign was created to provide access to nutritional supplements and ensure the healthy development of those in other countries. This campaign distributes micronutrient powders rich in vitamins, minerals and supplemental iron to mix into children’s food. The Kraft Heinz Company has effectively treated and prevented iron deficiency, anemia, and other vitamin deficiencies through these efforts.
• Western Digital : Through partnerships with Rise Against Hunger and Latet, Western Digital, a computer and data storage company, packaged over six million meals for those in need in 2019. Western Digital is passionate about the health of the body and mind and believes that to achieve a healthy lifestyle, nutritious meals are a necessity. By providing these packaged meals, Western Digital hopes to improve student health, promote education and stimulate economic growth.

World hunger is a problem that will not be solved overnight. Companies such as those listed above understand the importance of aiding those who struggle to obtain proper sustenance every day. These five businesses that support ending world hunger have partnered with incredible organizations devoted to providing children and their families with nutritional food and vitamins needed for healthy growth. Through their efforts, they are making a large impact on world hunger.

– Ciara Pagels Photo: Flickr

“The Borgen Project is an incredible nonprofit organization that is addressing poverty and hunger and working towards ending them.”

-The Huffington Post

Inside the borgen project.

• Board of Directors

Get Smarter

• Global Poverty 101
• Global Poverty… The Good News
• Global Poverty & U.S. Jobs
• Global Poverty and National Security
• Innovative Solutions to Poverty
• Global Poverty & Aid FAQ’s

Ways to Help

• Call Congress
• Email Congress
• 30 Ways to Help
• Volunteer Ops
• Internships
• Courses & Certificates
• The Podcast

Zero Hunger

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

Hunger is the leading cause of death in the world. Our planet has provided us with tremendous resources, but unequal access and inefficient handling leaves millions of people malnourished. If we promote sustainable agriculture with modern technologies and fair distribution systems, we can sustain the whole world’s population and make sure that nobody will ever suffer from hunger again.

Case Studies

Kraft Heinz

Get Involved

Support the Food and Land Use Coalition and play a role in creating vital solutions for food and land use systems which deliver for everyone.

The Global Goals Business Avengers

SEE BELOW FOR CASE STUDIES

Good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice and strong institutions, partnerships for the goals, what can we do.

Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge

The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge calls on companies from all sizes and from around the world to join the global movement to end hunger.

See the full list of pledges to date

Read the Pledge's accountability report

What's new?

Why private and public sectors need to join forces to end hunger

The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge welcomes Global Citizen as a new supporter

The Zero Hunger Pledge ambitions for 2024

What is the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge?

The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge (the Pledge) is an opportunity for companies and investment funds to align their investments with new evidence and commitments by donors, governments, and global institutions to achieve zero hunger by 2030.

The Pledge calls on all companies to join the global movement to end hunger, inviting them to invest, innovate and work with donors and development agencies to change the way food is produced, distributed, and consumed.

Ceres2030: Sustainable solutions to end hunger

Ceres2030’s research shows that, by doubling their investments between now and 2030, donors could help end hunger, double smallholder farmer incomes, and protect the climate.

Read more about Ceres2030

What we are seeing with the Pledge is the private sector stepping up to be a bigger part of the solution. This is a game-changing approach to solving one of the most pressing yet oldest challenges humanity faces.

Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, GAIN

Stories of companies that pledged

Read more stories from companies that pledged

The difference between pledging and donating

The big difference between a donation and a pledge is the timing. A donation describes the immediate exchange of money or goods from a donor. A pledge is the promised exchange of money or goods from a donor.

Read about the Zero Hunger Coalition

Search the site

Links to social media channels

The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge

As of December, 10, 2021,  43 companies have pledged a promising USD 391 million in 47 countries as part of the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge

The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge is an opportunity for companies and investment funds to align their investments with new evidence and commitments by donors, governments, and global institutions to end hunger and nourish the future by 2030.

What are we asking companies to do?

The pledge encourages companies to make an investment in at least one of the 10 high-impact intervention areas from the Ceres2030 evidence and in at least one of the priority countries or regions. The company has to name the partners it will work with to achieve the action. 

The pledge requires companies to comply with host state laws and regulations, and commit to internationally accepted principles, including but not limited to:

• the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS-RAI)
• the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes
• the Principles of the UN Global Compact
• the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights

Why are we asking companies to pledge?

One in every 10 people goes to bed hungry. And most of these people live in Africa and South Asia. Last year, COVID-19 wiped out 15 years of progress in reducing hunger globally. In July 2021, the United Nations announced that 118 million more people were affected by hunger in 2020, taking the number of people with no access to food up to 768 million.

If we cannot deliver on ending hunger and malnutrition, then we have not transformed food systems. This is the litmus test.

A specific set of investments—described by new evidence from Ceres2030 , Program of Accompanying Research for Agricultural Innovation (PARI) 2020, and the State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) 2021 are needed to end hunger. These reports show that donors must double current public spending. Governments have to juggle multiple priorities due to the pandemic and the associated economic downturn. This is why large companies can and should step in to increase efforts toward achieving zero hunger by 2030. Transforming food systems to end hunger and malnutrition, ensure safe and nutritious food for all, support sustainable consumption shifts, reduce carbon emissions, generate decent and dignified livelihoods, and build resilience to future shocks requires more and better private sector investments.

Whose idea was the pledge?

The Zero Hunger, Private Sector Pledge is a game-changing solution that emerged from the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Action Track 1. The implementing organizations are a coalition of international organizations and partners, namely:  including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the  Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition  (GAIN), Grow Africa , Grow Asia ,  the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the  World Benchmarking Alliance , the World Business Council for Sustainable Development ( WBCSD ) and the  World Food Programme . 

To date, we have mobilized several supporting companies and organized a parallel session during the UNFSS pre-Summit in July, which laid the groundwork for a high-level pledging moment from companies at the Summit in September.

The signing of this pledge does not constitute an endorsement by the project partners and organizations of the company or its activities. The implementing partners and organizations of this pledge are not directly affiliated with the companies through the signing of this pledge. The implementing partners and organizations of this pledge reserve the right to revoke or suspend the pledge if the company fails to comply with the governing principles of the pledge. 

If you are a company and you would like to be part of the official launch on 21 September 2021 please fill in your pledge by midnight CET on Sunday 19 September 2021. Companies can pledge at any time and can pledge multiple times. This initiative will end on 31 December 2030. 

Achieving zero hunger points to a number of “firsts” For the first time, ending hunger is within the world’s grasp: science has given us a clear roadmap on the who, what and where to invest to meet SDG2.  Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director GAIN and Chair UNFSS Action Track 1

More private sector investment in agri-food sectors in low- and middle-income countries is also needed to realize a drastic change. Carin Smaller, Director, Agriculture, Trade & Investment IISD

Frequently asked questions and guidance document  (english)

Preguntas Frecuentes y Guía para las Empresas (spanish)

Foire aux questions (FAQ) et Document d’orientation pour les entreprises  (french)

UN's Zero Hunger Sustainable Development Goal at risk

After the huge success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the United Nations laid out a new set of targets for 2030 - the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN's SDG for Zero Hunger is measured by the prevalence of undernourishment, meaning a condition where "a person is unable to acquire enough food to meet daily minimum dietary energy requirements for one year".

IISD in the news

Sustainability Magazine

February 2, 2022

La famine sera-t-elle vraiment éradiquée dans dix ans? (in French)

La communauté internationale vise 2030 pour venir à bout de ce fléau mondial, relancé par la pandémie. Les dons affluent, mais le projet paraît bien ambitieux.

September 23, 2021

Companies Pledge Millions to End World Hunger by 2030

Forty-two companies have pledged a promising US$345 million to contribute to ending global hunger as part of a new initiative led by key international organizations.

Environment News Service

September 22, 2021

Companies pledge millions to end hunger in the world by 2030 as part of the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge

On September 21, 2021, 42 companies pledged a promising USD 345 million to contribute to ending global hunger as part of a new initiative led by key international organizations.

Press release

September 21, 2021

Zero Hunger Summary of Pledges and Commitments

As of May, 24, 2022, 43 companies have pledged a promising USD 458 million in 48 countries as part of the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge.

Policy Analysis

September 20, 2021

Project details

You might also be interested in, ceres2030: sustainable solutions to end hunger.

Our mission is to provide the donor community with a menu of policy options for directing their investments, backed by the best available evidence and economic models.

Towards a Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge

This Pledge is a one-time investment to end systemic hunger by 2030. Learn more at our affiliated session of the UNFSS 2021 Pre-Summit on July 26.

July 26, 2021

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Related Topics

Rural development, food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture, targets and indicators, progress and info.

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

Prevalence of undernourishment

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons

Prevalence of stunting (height for age <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age

Prevalence of malnutrition (weight for height >+2 or <-2 standard deviation from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age, by type (wasting and overweight)

Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years, by pregnancy status (percentage)

By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment

Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size

Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status

By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture

By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed

Number of ( a ) plant and ( b ) animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities

Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk of extinction

Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries

The agriculture orientation index for government expenditures

Total official flows (official development assistance plus other official flows) to the agriculture sector

Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round

Agricultural export subsidies

Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility

Indicator of food price anomalies

Globally, hunger persists with nearly 1 in 10 of the world's population facing it in 2022, while 2.4 billion people experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. In the same year, nearly 60 per cent of countries worldwide saw significant increases in food prices due to conflicts and disrupted supply chains. Achieving zero hunger requires intensified efforts to transform food systems towards sustainability, resilience, and equity. Furthermore, accelerating improvements in diets, nutrition, health, and hygiene is crucial to meeting the SDG target of halving the number of children suffering from chronic undernutrition.

Target 2.1 : After a sharp increase following the COVID-19 pandemic, global hunger stabilized at around 9.2% of the population from 2021 to 2022. Between 691 and 783 million people faced hunger in 2022. Considering the midrange (735 million), 122 million more people faced hunger in 2022 than in 2019, when the prevalence stood at 7.9%. Additionally, an estimated 29.6% of the global population – 2.4 billion people – were moderately or severely food insecure in 2022.

Target 2.2 : Globally in 2022, an estimated 22.3% of children under age 5 (148 million) were affected by stunting, down from 24.6% in 2015 and 26.3% in 2012 (baseline year of WHO nutrition targets). Based on current trends, 1 out of 5 (19.5%) children under age 5 will be affected by stunting in 2030. Overweight affected 37.0 million children under age 5 (or 5.6%) and wasting affected 45 million (or 6.8%) in 2022.

Target 2.3 : The income gap between small-scale and non-small-scale food producers remains significant. In 95% of countries with available data, the average annual income of small-scale producers is less than half that of nonsmall-scale producers. Among small-scale food producers, units headed by men typically generate higher incomes compared to those headed by women.

Target 2.a : In 2022, global public expenditures reached $36 trillion, of which $749 billion went towards agriculture—an all-time high. Agriculture represented 2.1% of total government expenditure, a recovery from the pandemic, and is only marginally below the 2019 level. Government expenditure on agriculture relative to the agriculture sector’s contribution to GDP, measured in terms of the agriculture orientation index, declined from the 2015 baseline of 0.50 to 0.43 in 2021, but rebounded to 0.48 in 2022.

Target 2.b : Total notified annual agriculture export subsidy outlays fell from its peak of $ 6.7 billion in 1999 to $33 million in 2022. As of 1st January 2024, only least developed countries (LDCs) and net food importing developing countries are allowed to use certain forms of export subsidies.

Target 2.c : In 2022, the share of countries facing moderately to abnormally high food prices reached a new record-high of 58.1% after falling by more than half in 2021 from the previous historical peak of 48% in 2020. The 2022 share represented a nearly four-fold increase from the 2015-19 average levels of 15.2%. Major disruption to logistics and food supply chains, following the breakout of the war in Ukraine, resulted in higher food and energy prices, particularly during the first half of 2022.

The number of people facing hunger and food insecurity has been on the rise since 2015, with the pandemic, conflict climate change and growing inequalities exacerbating the situation. In 2015, 589 million people were experiencing hunger, and by 2021, that number had risen to 768 million. Projections show that by 2030, approximately 670 million people will still be facing hunger – 8% of the world’s population, the same as in 2015. Despite global efforts, too many children continue suffering from malnutrition and the current annual rate of reduction in stunting must increase by 2.2 times to meet the global target. To achieve zero hunger by 2030, immediate and intensified efforts are required to transform food systems, ensure food security and invest in sustainable agricultural practices.

• Target 2.1 : The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an already deteriorating food security situation, with about 150 million more people facing hunger in 2021 than in 2019. In addition, nearly 1 in 3 (2.3 billion people) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021. This represents an increase of almost 350 million people since the beginning of the pandemic. The most worrisome increases were seen in sub-Saharan Africa. The ongoing crisis in Ukraine is yet another threat to food security.
• Target 2.2 : Globally in 2022, an estimated 22.3% of children under age 5 (148 million) were affected by stunting, down from 24.6% in 2015.  Overweight affected 37.0 million children under age 5 (or 5.6%) and wasting affected 45 million (or 6.8%) in 2022. The global prevalence of overweight children has stagnated, and if current trends continue, the 2030 target will be missed by 17.5 million children. Further, the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age continues to be alarming, stagnant at around 30% since 2000. And low and lower-middle income economies bear the greatest burden of stunting, wasting, low birth weight and anaemia.
• Target 2.5 : Although 71% of local livestock breeds with a known status are at risk of extinction, progress has been made in ex-situ cryopreservation: Between 1995 and 2022, the number of local and transboundary breeds for which sufficient material is available increased from 57 to 287 (out of 7688 local breeds) and from 31 to 175 (out of 1115 transboundary breeds), respectively. At the end of 2021, an estimated 5.8 million accessions of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture were conserved under medium- or long-term conditions in 846 gene banks in 115 countries and 17 regional and international research centres, representing a 1.1% year-on-year increase in 2021.
• Target 2.a : Investment in agriculture is falling. Government expenditure on agriculture relative to the agriculture sector’s contribution to GDP has declined from 0.50 in 2015 to 0.45 in 2021 in all regions except Northern America and Europe, which was driven mostly by the COVID-19 pandemic response. 
• Target 2.b : In December 2015, WTO Members adopted the Ministerial Decision on Export Competition, thus formally agreeing to eliminate all forms of agricultural export subsidies entitlements. Total notified annual export subsidy outlays fell from their peak of 218 million in 2015 to almost zero in 2021.
• Target 2.c : In 2021, the share of countries facing moderately to abnormally high food prices was 21.5%, a significant decline from the record-high of 48% in 2020, when the easing of COVID-19 related restrictive measures prompted strong demand. However, this is still above the 2015-2019 average (15.2%), reflecting continued increases in food prices, mainly supported by elevated production and transport costs on account of costlier fertilizers and energy. In sub-Saharan Africa and among LDCs, the proportion of countries experiencing high food prices increased for the second consecutive year in 2021.

Between 2014 and the onset of the pandemic, the number of people going hungry and suffering from food insecurity had been gradually rising. The COVID-19 crisis has pushed those rising rates even higher. The war in Ukraine is further disrupting global food supply chains and creating the biggest global food crisis since the Second World War. The COVID-19 crisis has also exacerbated all forms of malnutrition, particularly in children.

In 2020, between 720 and 811 million persons worldwide were suffering from hunger, as many as 161 million more than in 2019. Also in 2020, over 30 per cent – a staggering 2.4 billion people – were moderately or severely food-insecure, lacking regular access to adequate food. This represents an increase of almost 320 million people in the course of just one year.

Globally, 149.2 million children under five years of age, or 22.0 per cent, were suffering from stunting (low height for age) in 2020 2 , the proportion having decreased from 24.4 per cent in 2015. These numbers may become higher, however, owing to continued constraints on accessing nutritious diets and essential nutrition services during the pandemic, with the full impact possibly taking years to manifest itself. To achieve the target of a 5 per cent reduction in the number of stunted children by 2025, the current rate of decline of 2.1 per cent per year must double through global efforts to 3.9 per cent per year.

In 2020 2 , wasting (low weight for height) affected 45.4 million children under five years of age (6.7 per cent) and overweeight affected 38.9 million children under five years of age (5.7 per cent). Wasting will be one of the conditions most impacted by COVID-19 pandemic in the short term; about 15 per cent more children than currently estimated may have been suffering from wasting, owing to deterioration in household wealth and disruptions in the availability and affordability of nutritious food and essential nutrition services. Childhood overweight may also be on the rise in some countries where unhealthy food replaced fresh, nutritious food and movement restrictions have constrained opportunities for physical activity for long periods of time.

In women, anaemia increases the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Since 2015, the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age has been stagnant globally, with over half a billion women aged 15-49 years with anaemia in 2019, representing a prevalence of 29.9 per cent (29.6 per cent in non-pregnant women and 36.5 per cent in pregnant women).

In three quarters of the limited number of countries with data, small-scale food producers show an average annual income of less than half that of large-scale food producers. Similarly, the labor productivity of small-scale food producers continues to lag behind that of larger-scale producers. Among small-scale food producers, the income of women-headed production units is systematically lower than the income of those units headed by men, aounting in half of the countries to only 50-70 per cent of the income of the units headed by men.

The world is still far from maintaining the genetic diversity of farmed and domesticated animals, either in the field or in gene banks. For 62 per cent of local livestock breeds, the risk status remains unknown. Of the limited number of surveyed local livestock breeds, 72 per cent are deemed at risk of extinction. At the same time, for only 277 out of a global total of 7,704 local livestock breeds is there sufficient material in gene banks to reconstitute the breeds in case of extinction.

The share of countries burdened by high food prices, which had been relatively stable since 2016, rose sharply from 16 per cent in 2019 to 47 per cent in 2020, reflecting mainly trends in international markets. International prices of food items soared in the second half of 2020, more than offsetting declines in the first five months of the year, supported by the increase in international demand for cereals, vegetable oils, sugar and dairy products associated with the easing of the restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In domestic markets, upward pressure was also exerted by rising costs of freight and agricultural inputs as well as logistical bottlenecks and market uncertainty.

2  The 2020 estimates do not account for the full impact of COVID-19 pandemic, as household survey data on child height and age were not collected in 2020 owing to physical distancing policies.

Source: Progress Towards Sustainable Development Goals- Report of the Secretary-General

For more information, please, check:  https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people experiencing hunger globally and suffering from food insecurity had been rising gradually since 2014. The pandemic has increased the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of global food systems, potentially leaving hundreds of millions more people chronically undernourished and making the goal of ending hunger more difficult to achieve. Between 83 and 132 million more people may already have been pushed into chronic hunger in 2020. In addition, countries and territories around the world continue to struggle with multiple forms of malnutrition.

It is estimated that almost 690 million people around the world experienced hunger in 2019, equivalent to 8.9 per cent of the world population – an increase of nearly 60 million in five years. Updated estimates due for publication in July 2021 will provide a more recent picture of the effects of the pandemic on hunger.

An estimated 2 billion people, 25.9 per cent of the world population, were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity in 2019, up from 22.4 per cent in 2015. The fastest rise was recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean, although the highest levels were registered in sub-Saharan Africa.

Globally, 149.2 million children under the age of 5, some 22 per cent of all children, suffer from stunting (low height for age) according to the latest estimates available for 2020,2 a decrease from 24.4 per cent in 2015. However, these figures may rise as a result of continued constraints on access to nutritious food and essential nutrition services during the pandemic, the full impact of which may take years to manifest.

In 2020, wasting (low weight for height) and overweight affected 6.7 per cent (45.4 million) and 5.7 per cent (38.9 million) of children under the age of 5, respectively. Wasting will be one of the conditions most affected by the pandemic in the short term: around 15 per cent more children than estimated may have suffered from wasting as a result of a decline in household wealth and disruptions in the availability and affordability of nutritious food and essential nutrition services. Childhood overweight (high weight for height) may also rise in some countries and territories where unhealthy foods replaced fresh, nutritious foodstuffs and restrictions on movement constrained opportunities for physical activity for long periods.

In women, anaemia increases the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. In 2019, the global prevalence of anaemia was 29.9 per cent in women of reproductive age, 29.6 per cent in non-pregnant women and 36.5 per cent in pregnant women. The prevalence was higher in Central and Southern Asia, at 47.5 per cent in women of reproductive age.

The average agricultural output per labour day of small-scale food producers in the limited number of countries and territories surveyed is lower than that of large - scale producers, who also earn up to two or three times the annual income of smallscale producers. In almost all countries and territories surveyed, households headed by males achieve higher labour productivity and earn larger annual incomes compared to their female counterparts.

Global holdings of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in 2020 reached 5.7 million accessions conserved in 831 gene banks by 114 countries and territories and 17 regional and international research centres. Although the total number of global holdings has risen, the growth rate decreased over the past 10 years, reaching its lowest level in 2020.

The world is still far off target for maintaining the genetic diversity of farmed and domesticated animals, either in the field or in gene banks. The risk status of 61 per cent of local livestock breeds remains unknown. Of the limited number surveyed, 74 per cent are deemed to be at risk of extinction, yet there is only sufficient material in gene banks for 203 out of a global total of 7,700 local livestock breeds to reconstitute the breed in the event of its extinction.

While the share of agricultural aid has remained constant at about 5 percent, it has more than doubled in volume since 2002, with total disbursements amounting to $13 billion in 2019.

A steady downward trend has been observed in export subsidy outlays notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Total notified annual outlays fell from a peak of $6.7 billion in 1999 to $138 million in 2018. In December 2015, WTO members adopted the ministerial decision on export competition, formally agreeing to eliminate all forms of agricultural export subsidy entitlements.

At the global level, the number of countries and territories afflicted by high food prices decreased from 2014 to 2019, with the notable exception of some countries in Central, Southern and Western Asia as well as Northern Africa, owing to the reduced domestic availability of staple foods and to currency depreciations.

Source: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals - E/2021/58

The total number of persons suffering from severe food insecurity has been on the rise since 2015, and there are still millions of malnourished children. The economic slowdown and the disruption of food value chains caused by the pandemic are exacerbating hunger and food insecurity. In addition, the upsurge in desert locusts remains alarming in East Africa and Yemen, where 35 million persons already experience acute food insecurity. Owing to the pandemic, some 370 million schoolchildren are missing the free school meals that they rely on. Measures to strengthen food production and distribution systems must be taken immediately to mitigate and minimize the impacts of the pandemic.

An estimated 26.4 per cent of the world population, about 2 billion persons, were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity in 2018, an increase from 23.2 per cent in 2014, owing mainly to increases in food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Slightly more than 700 million persons, or 9.2 per cent of the world population, experienced severe food insecurity in 2018, implying reductions in the quantity of food consumed to the extent that they possibly experienced hunger.

The proportion of children under 5 years of age suffering from chronic undernutrition, as well as stunting (being too short for one’s age), decreased, from 23.1 per cent in 2015 to 21.3 per cent in 2019. Globally, 144 million children under 5 years of age were still affected by stunting in 2019. Three quarters of them lived in Central and Southern Asia or sub-Saharan Africa.

Globally, 47 million children under 5 years of age, or 6.9 per cent, were affected by acute undernutrition or wasting (low weight for one’s height) in 2019 conditions generally caused by limited nutrient intake and infection. More than half of the wasted children lived in Central and Southern Asia. Childhood overweight affected 38 million children under 5 years of age worldwide, or 5.6 per cent, in 2019. Wasting and overweight may coexist at levels considered to be medium to high, the so-called double burden of malnutrition. In Northern Africa and South-Eastern Asia, the rate of wasting was 7.2 per cent and 8.2 per cent, respectively, while the rate of overweight was 11.3 per cent and 7.5 per cent, respectively, in 2019.

The share of government expenditure in the agricultural sector, measured by government expenditure in agriculture divided by the sector’s share of GDP, fell worldwide, from 0.42 to 0.31 to 0.28 per cent in 2001, 2015 and 2018, respectively. Moreover, aid to agriculture in developing countries fell, from nearly 25 per cent of all donors’ sector-allocable aid in the mid-1980s to only 5 per cent, in 2018.

In 2019, sharp increases in food prices were concentrated largely in sub-Saharan Africa, driven by production shocks and macroeconomic difficulties. The lingering impact of prolonged conflict and extreme weather conditions in some areas were additional factors.

Source: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, Report of the Secretary-General,  https://undocs.org/en/E/2020/57

Hunger is on the rise again globally and undernutrition continues to affect millions of children. Public investment in agriculture globally is declining, smallscale food producers and family farmers require much greater support and increased investment in infrastructure and technology for sustainable agriculture is urgently needed.

• An estimated 821 million people – approximately 1 in 9 people in the world – were undernourished in 2017, up from 784 million in 2015. This represents a worrying rise in world hunger for a third consecutive year after a prolonged decline. Africa remains the continent with the highest prevalence of undernourishment, affecting one fifth of its population (more than 256 million people). Consistent with the continued growth in undernourishment, 770 million people faced severe food insecurity in 2017.
• Stunting has been decreasing in nearly every region since 2000. Still, more than 1 in 5 children under 5 years of age (149 million) were stunted in 2018. Globally, 49 million children under 5 were affected by wasting and another 40 million were overweight in 2018.
• Strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacity of small-scale and family farmers, whose productivity is systematically lower than all other food producers, is critical to reversing the trend of the rise in hunger. The share of small-scale food producers in terms of all food producers in countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America ranges from 40 to 85 per cent, compared with fewer than 10 per cent in Europe.
• Government spending on agriculture compared to agriculture’s contribution to the total economy has declined by 37 per cent; the ratio fell from 0.42 in 2001 to 0.26 worldwide in 2017. In addition, aid to agriculture in developing countries fell from nearly 25 per cent of all donors’ sector-allocable aid in the mid-1980s to only 5 per cent in 2017, representing a decrease of $12.6 billion.
• A continuous downward trend has been observed in export subsidy outlays reported to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The total outlays fell from close to $500 million in 2010 to around $120 million in 2016. This reduction in export subsidies by Governments is leading to lower distortions in agricultural markets.

Source: Report of the Secretary-General,  Special edition: progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals

After a prolonged decline, world hunger appears to be on the rise again. Conflict, drought and disasters linked to climate change are among the key factors causing this reversal in progress.

• The proportion of undernourished people worldwide increased from 10.6 per cent in 2015 to 11.0 per cent in 2016. This translates to 815 million people worldwide in 2016, up from 777 million in 2015.
• In 2017, 151 million children under age 5 suffered from stunting (low height for their age), 51 million suffered from wasting (low weight for height), and 38 million were overweight.
• Aid to agriculture in developing countries totalled $12.5 billion in 2016, falling to 6 per cent of all donors’ sector-allocable aid from nearly 20 per cent in the mid-1980s.
• Progress has been made in reducing market-distorting agricultural subsidies, which were more than halved in five years—from $491 million in 2010 to less than $200 million in 2015
• In 2016, 26 countries experienced high or moderately high levels of general food prices, which may have negatively affected food security.

Source: Report of the Secretary-General,  The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018

Efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition have advanced significantly since 2000. Ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition for all, however, will require continued and focused efforts, especially in Asia and Africa. More investments in agriculture, including government spending and aid, are needed to increase capacity for agricultural productivity.

• The proportion of undernourished people worldwide declined from 15 per cent in 2000-2002 to 11 per cent in 2014-2016. About 793 million people are undernourished globally, down from 930 million people during the same period.
• In 2016, an estimated 155 million children under 5 years of age were stunted (too short for their age, a result of chronic malnutrition). Globally, the stunting rate fell from 33 per cent in 2000 to 23 per cent in 2016. Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounted for three quarters of all stunted children that year.
• In 2016, an estimated 52 million children under 5 years of age worldwide suffered from wasting (with a low weight for their height, usually the result of an acute and significant food shortage and/or disease). The global wasting rate in 2016 was 7.7 per cent, with the highest rate (15.4 per cent) in Southern Asia. At the other end of the spectrum, overweight and obesity affected 41 million children under 5 years of age worldwide (6 per cent) in 2016.
• Ending hunger demands sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices. One aspect of that effort is maintaining the genetic diversity of plants and animals, which is crucial for agriculture and food production. In 2016, 4.7 million samples of seeds and other plant genetic material for food and agriculture were preserved in 602 gene banks throughout 82 countries and 14 regional and international centres — a 2 per cent increase since 2014. Animal genetic material has been cryoconserved, but only for 15 per cent of national breed populations, according to information obtained from 128 countries. The stored genetic material is sufficient to reconstitute only 7 per cent of national breed populations should they become extinct. As of February 2017, 20 per cent of local breeds were classified as at risk.
• Increased investments are needed to enhance capacity for agricultural productivity. However, the global agriculture orientation index — defined as agriculture’s share of government expenditure divided by the sector’s share of gross domestic product (GDP) — fell from 0.38 in 2001 to 0.24 in 2013 and to 0.21 in 2015.
• The share of sector-allocable aid allocated to agriculture from member countries of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) fell from nearly 20 per cent in the mid-1980s to 7 per cent in the late 1990s, where it remained through 2015. The decline reflects a shift away from aid for financing infrastructure and production towards a greater focus on social sectors.
• In 2016, 21 countries experienced high or moderately high domestic prices, relative to their historic levels, for one or more staple cereal food commodities. Thirteen of those countries were in sub-Saharan Africa. The main causes of high prices were declines in domestic output, currency depreciation and insecurity. Localized increases in fuel prices also drove food prices higher.
• Some progress has been made in preventing distortions in world agricultural markets. The global agricultural export subsidies were reduced by 94 per cent from 2000 to 2014. In December 2015, members of the World Trade Organization adopted a ministerial decision on eliminating export subsidies for agricultural products and restraining export measures that have a similar effect.

Source: Report of the Secretary-General, "Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals",  E/2017/66

• Goal 2 aims to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. It also commits to universal access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food at all times of the year. This will require sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices, equal access to land, technology and markets and international cooperation on investments in infrastructure and technology to boost agricultural productivity.
• The fight against hunger has progressed over the past 15 years. Globally, the prevalence of hunger has declined, from 15 per cent according to figures for 2000 to 2002, to 11 per cent according to figures for 2014 to 2016. However, more than 790 million people worldwide still lack regular access to adequate amounts of dietary energy. If current trends continue, the zero hunger target will be largely missed by 2030. Many countries that failed to reach the target set as part of the Millennium Development Goals, of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, have faced natural and human-induced disasters or political instability, resulting in protracted crises, with increased vulnerability and food insecurity affecting large parts of the population. The persistence of hunger is no longer simply a matter of food availability. More and better data on access to food can enable the tracking of progress and guide interventions to fight food insecurity and malnutrition.
• Globally, in 2014, nearly 1 in 4 children under the age of 5, an estimated total of 159 million children, had stunted growth. Stunting is defined as inadequate height for age, an indicator of the cumulative effects of undernutrition and infection. Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounted for three quarters of the children under 5 with stunted growth in 2014. Another aspect of child malnutrition is the growing share of children who are overweight, a problem affecting nearly every region. Globally, between 2000 and 2014, the percentage of children under the age of 5 who were overweight grew from 5.1 per cent to 6.1 per cent.
• Ending hunger and malnutrition relies heavily on sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices. Genetic diversity in livestock breeds is crucial for agriculture and food production since it allows for the raising of farm animals in a wide range of environments and provides the basis for diverse products and services. Globally, 20 per cent of local livestock breeds, meaning breeds reported in only one country, are at risk of extinction. Another 16 per cent of breeds are stable, and the status of the remaining local breeds is unknown owing to a lack of data. The figures exclude livestock breeds that have already become extinct.
• To increase the productive capacity of agriculture, more investment is needed, both public and private, from domestic and foreign sources. However, recent trends in government spending are not favourable. The agriculture orientation index, defined as agriculture’s share of government expenditures divided by the sector’s share of gross domestic product (GDP), fell globally from 0.37 to 0.25 between 2001 and 2013. The decline in the index was interrupted only temporarily during the food price crisis of 2006 to 2008, when governments increased agricultural spending.
• Since the late 1990s, the percentage of aid for supporting agriculture in developing countries has been stable at around 8 per cent, when measured as a share of sector-allocable aid from member countries of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This has decreased, from a peak of 20 per cent in the mid-1980s, as a result of donors beginning to focus more on improving governance, building social capital and bolstering fragile States.
• One of the targets for Goal 2 calls for correcting and preventing distortions in world agricultural markets, including the elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies. Those subsidies mask market signals, reduce competitiveness and can lead to environmental damage and the inequitable distribution of benefits. That said, some progress is being made, with members of the World Trade Organization adopting a ministerial decision, in December 2015, on eliminating export subsidies for agricultural products and restraining export measures that have an equivalent effect.

Source: Report of the Secretary-General, "Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals",  E/2016/75

Bridging the Ambition Gap for the Future We Want through Climate and SDGs Synergy

Sdg global business forum 2024, advancing integrated sdg planning and implementation: the role of voluntary national reviews and voluntary local reviews, high-level political forum 2024, publications, synergy solutions for a world in crisis: tackling climate and sdg action together, third global conference on strengthening synergies between the paris agreement and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, sdg good practices-a compilation of success stories and lessons learned in sdg implementation (first edition), exploring youth entrepreneurship.

Governments must seek win-win synergies by tackling climate and sustainable development crises together, urges expert group report

Expert Group to Prepare Report Analysing Climate and SDG Synergies, Aiming to Maximize Action Impact

Call for Inputs for the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023

Blueprint for Business Leadership on the SDGs

2. zero hunger, how business leadership can advance goal 2 on eliminating hunger.

Hunger and malnutrition pose significant barriers to human wellbeing and economic development, with nearly one in eight people and one in four children suffering from chronic malnutrition. These pressures threaten to increase with intensifying pressures on natural resources, while impacts from climate change will also frustrate food systems. Further, farmers around the world, making up a large share of employment in developing countries, struggle to make a livelihood from agricultural activities.

Businesses play a central role in providing food to communities and combating hunger and malnutrition. Without careful management and safeguards, company operations can negatively impact the local food security of communities surrounding their operations and supply chain. A particular problem is abuse of land rights through land grabbing. Businesses in all sectors should ensure that land used throughout their supply chain is not, and has not, been taken without free, prior and informed consent from local communities. Companies can also negatively impact communities by restricting access to agricultural inputs including seeds, water supplies, knowledge and finance. Responsible supply chain practices that respect land rights and support smallholder farms can help two-thirds of the world’s population address hunger and achieve economic development. Business is also an emitter of greenhouse gasses, which contribute to climate change and thereby can exacerbate hunger through impacting yields.

Companies can provide leadership on Goal 2 to eliminate hunger. Business in the agriculture and food sectors, but also a variety of related sectors such as chemicals and biotechnology, are crucial to eliminating hunger through product and process innovation that reaches all global regions and communities. A key way to address hunger is by improving productivity and sustainability, market access, and access to opportunities for upgrading into more value-added activities for small-scale agriculture. This serves to provide more abundant and secure food supply for local communities and directly raise incomes of smallholder farmers. Companies can innovate, invest, and share knowledge to help increase the productivity of farmers in its supply chain and wider communities; and, they can restructure their supply chains such that a greater proportion of revenues goes to the farmers and their workers by reducing the need for intermediaries that exploit their vulnerability for their own gain. Companies can also lead by improving food distribution channels to combat malnutrition in areas with limited access to healthy foods and develop fortified crops and processed foods that are compatible with development goals for human and environmental health. To combat the significant global food waste problem, companies can lead in the development of technologies and processes to eliminate food waste from their end-to-end operations, to ensure better food availability to communities around the world.

Businesses can benefit from ending hunger as it allows them to access new and previously underserved markets. Further, existing malnutrition levels are estimated to be as high as 11 per cent of national GDP per year. The greatest market opportunities today are also the areas seeing the fastest population growth, which will increase demand for food up to 200 per cent from current levels by 2050. In many cases, reducing food waste directly improves the financial baseline: deploying sustainable agricultural solutions and reducing food loss and waste are each projected to deliver over $650 billion in annual value by 2030.

Eliminating hunger and improving agricultural incomes can have direct positive impacts on advancing Goals 1, 3 and 8 by increasing rural and developing country incomes and access to nutrition. Given the high rate of women farmers, especially in Africa and Asia, progress on Goal 2 can also further efforts to achieve gender equality (Goal 5). At the same time, businesses should be careful to reduce the risk of negative impacts. Intensive agricultural practices risk water scarcity and pollution (Goal 6), greenhouse gas emissions (Goal 13) and soil degradation (Goal 15). Leading businesses manage these risks through support for sustainable farming practices.

Do your actions satisfy the Leadership Qualities?

Guiding Questions to apply to the Leadership Qualities to your business

Intentionality

Consistency, collaboration, accountability.

• Is your company committed to supporting the achievement of Goal 2? Have you developed a holistic strategy that reflects this commitment, covering end-to-end operation and the wider community?
• Are you committed to learn from your actions and do you have processes in place to improve them accordingly?
• Is your strategy supported by the highest levels of management, including the Board of Directors?

Key Considerations

An explicit commitment to reduce hunger and malnutrition, observed throughout the company, is essential for long-term success in addressing Goal 2.

• Do your actions achieve long-term outcomes that greatly exceed those resulting from current industry practice?
• Are your actions aligned with what is needed to achieve Goal 2?

Ambition on Goal 2 must bring about the fundamental shifts required to eliminate hunger at scale, which often means the impact of action goes far beyond own operations, supporting communities surrounding end-to-end operations, including that living wages are paid.

• Is support for Goal 2 embedded across all organizational functions?
• Are staff and board incentives aligned with achieving Goal 2?

Consistency of the actions of all departments is required to ensure that all the company addresses hunger from all angles that it can influence, including through its external communications, government relations, and legal departments.

• Do you proactively look for opportunities to partner with Governments, UN agencies, suppliers, civil society organizations, industry peers and other stakeholders to inform how to advance Goal 2?

Collaboration for Goal 2 requires working across disjointed markets to manage land acquisition and food resources to end hunger. Foodshed-level management requires stakeholder engagement with a range of suppliers, consumers, and retailers to manage food resources to meet the maximum need with minimum waste.

• Do you publicly express your commitment to advance Goal 2?
• Do you identify, monitor, and report on impacts, including potentially adverse impacts?
• Do you mitigate risks associated with your action?
• Do you remediate negative impacts associated with this action?
• Do you engage stakeholders in a meaningful way?

Monitoring and publicly reporting on sustainable land acquisition, agriculture, and consumption practices is key for realizing Goal 2. Where action reaches areas with vulnerable populations and ecosystems, social and environmental safeguards must be in place, and risks of negative impacts carefully managed.

Business Actions

Business action 1, support sustainable small-scale agriculture, business action 2, improve food systems to end hunger, business action 3, eliminate food waste, support farmers to increase yields and incomes from sustainable, small-scale agriculture.

Smallholder farmers around the world can struggle to make a profit from producing food, and most of the world’s undernourished people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. To address this challenge, businesses can help smallholders increase yields and incomes from sustainable agriculture. Responsible sourcing of agricultural products and acquiring land for other purposes requires businesses to respect land rights, pay fair prices, and ensure that all members of their supply chain avoid unsustainably exploiting resources such as water, land and labour (especially women’s). Leading businesses go beyond this and support smallholders directly, including through building capacity and sharing knowledge on agricultural resilience techniques, developing risk sharing initiatives, supporting marketing skills for different agricultural markets, identifying practices for increasing agricultural yields in different environments, restructuring supply chains to avoid intermediaries that exploit producers, and enabling and promoting better pay and conditions for farm workers. Examples of investment in smallholder-oriented infrastructure can include redesigning processes to accommodate dispersed supply chains or sharing irrigation infrastructure to improve efficiency and decrease costs. Finance and technology transfer systems can be adapted to smallholder systems in order to promote inclusive growth and encourage sustainable production

Example Practices

• A coffee retailer shares ten years of proprietary agronomy research to farmers in developing countries to help them increase yields and farm sustainably
• A fruit company ensures decent income for small-scale farmers by providing long-term contracts, having direct relationships with growers, engaging in capacity-building for sustainable agricultural practices and having fixed pricing
• An international tea company partners with Malawian tea producers, trade unions and NGOs to ensure that a living wage is paid to smallholder farmers and that sustainable production methods are used
• An agricultural bank launches a low-collateral finance tool targeting rural farmers, and especially women, through group lending practices to increase rural incomes by 50 per cent
• A beverage manufacturer adopts a zero tolerance policy for exploitation of land rights and deforestation in its supply chain to promote free, prior and informed consent of indigenous communities where land is acquired or cultivated

Consider the leadership qualities and interconnectedness of your action, including…

• Collaboration: smallholder farming requires wide collaboration with communities, industry peers, governments, civil society, and development organizations to build capacity across a range of providers and set up systems of institutional support that enhance local food security.
• Accountability: agricultural supply chains are especially vulnerable to land rights abuses and are often tied to deforestation. Businesses need to guarantee accountability in their production, which in forest-related supply chains - such as palm oil, timber and livestock – can often be supported by incorporating traceability.
• Interconnectedness: support for smallholder farming spans across people focused SDGs. For example, microlending schemes help support women farmers (Goal 5) and increase rural wages (Goal 1). Efforts to reduce emissions related to agriculture to improve long term agricultural yields will further progress on climate targets (Goal 13)

Alter food manufacturing, distribution and retail to contribute to ending malnutrition and hunger in all communities surrounding company operations

Companies that manufacture food and beverage products can deploy versions of these products that reduce hunger and increase nutrition for consumers. Leading companies will develop products responsive to the nutritional needs of the poor and disadvantaged groups, and support other Goals in their delivery. For example, food manufacturers can develop fortified nutritional products for a target audience such as infants and mothers, while managing the risks of obesity and other diet-based disease that can be furthered through processed foods. Food distributors can maximize access to food products by using packaging materials that do not require refrigeration where access to electricity is low. Companies at all stages of the supply chain can collaborate to ensure that adequate nutritional products are available at prices that remain accessible to undernourished communities.

• A food manufacturing company develops nutrient-fortified grains to deliver nutrients and vitamins to malnourished populations, with production facilities in developing countries and workers including smallholder farmers, over half of whom are women
• An agricultural product development company develops ready-to-use therapeutic food products for infant and maternal consumption in areas suffering from malnutrition, while avoiding processed foods
• A food distributor uses aseptic, biodegradable packaging to provide access to food that does not require refrigeration or preservatives, expanding the reach of food distribution networks
• A food retailer adapts the price of fresh, healthy meals based on the local community’s income to ensure a higher access to healthy foods
• Collaboration: a zero hunger research agenda requires collaboration with research institutions, local labour markets, civil society and nutrition focused international organizations including the FAO, UNICEF, World Food Programme and others; collaboration with national governments and export businesses is important to allow trade of nutritional products to areas of need.
• Accountability: ingredients, supply chains and test results for newly developed consumables must be promoted throughout communities targeted for new products, and educational campaigns including how products fit into a balanced and healthy diet, are important to avoid abuse or misuse of fortified food products.
• Interconnectedness: this action can help promote innovation and sustainable industry in developing countries (Goal 9), meet specialised post-natal health needs of mothers and infants as well as children in malnourished areas (Goal 3).

Work towards eliminating food waste and loss

A third of produced food ends up as waste. Reducing this waste in effect increases food supply and is an important element in reducing hunger and undernourishment. As with other resources, all business can strive to minimize food waste through planning, providing maximum information to consumers and reusing leftover food products as compost. Leading businesses go further, by shifting demand and creating new markets to include healthy foods that would otherwise go to waste due to cosmetic imperfections, lack of refrigeration or high prices. Waste management companies can lead on reducing food loss and waste by pricing waste by weight or volume, and engaging with other stakeholders on reducing the amount of waste they produce.

• A produce store sells produce that would be considered ‘deformed’ at a discount to reduce food loss and combat hunger
• A grocer incorporates ‘smart’ packaging that indicates when meat spoils to allow customers to use food products through their full shelf life
• A restaurant sells high-quality leftovers through a mobile app for a lower price in order to reduce food waste
• Collaboration: consumption of food products can span multiple markets throughout a product’s lifetime. Collaboration across supply chains, including farmers, grocers, restaurants, customers and civil society (including food banks) is required to develop efficient food management processes and reduce waste.
• Ambition: leadership on reducing food waste and loss requires implementing zero waste commitments across company operations, through reducing excess food supply, reusing excess stocks, and recycling food products that are no longer consumable.
• Interconnectedness: this action is closely related with actions to improve resource efficiency of business (Goal 12) and decent work (Goal 8).

How taking action on Goal 2 is interconnected with other Goals

The Global Goals are inherently interconnected. Action taken toward one Goal can support or hinder the achievement of others. Identifying and addressing these interconnections will help business to build holistic and systemic solutions that amplify progress and minimize negative impacts. To help build a greater understanding, we have illustrated some of the ways in which the Goals connect. These are not exhaustive, and we encourage business to consider how they apply in their own operations.

Maximise likelihood of positive impact on:

Improved agricultural productivity, especially amongst smallholder farmers, will increase incomes in rural areas (Goal 1), where the majority of incomes are tied to farming, which creates opportunity for women and children to pursue education (Goal 4) boosting gender equality (Goal 5). In areas with conflict between forest resources and agriculture, sustainable agricultural practices, that respect rights around land use, reduce deforestation (Goal 15), while providing living wages to laborers supports progress on decent work (Goal 8). Introducing climate smart agriculture practices contributes to community resilience to climate change (Goal 13). Business action to research and produce goods and services that reduce malnutrition and hunger will directly advance goals related to health and well being (Goal 3) and support sustainable industry in developing countries if conducted inclusively (Goal 9).

Minimise risk of negative impact on:

Water-intensive irrigation techniques and fertilizer use may improve agricultural yields over the short-term, but may exhaust the long-term productivity of agricultural land and place stress on water resources (Goal 6). It may also produce high levels of greenhouse gas emissions (Goal 13) and fertiliser runoff into water resources (Goal 14). Efforts to increase calorific intake in undernourished areas and irresponsible marketing of high sugar products, particularly to children, can create chronic health issues such as obesity and diabetes (Goal 3). These can be managed with education campaigns and products that deliver nutrition along with calories. Labour abuses in agricultural activities, including child and forced labour, must be replaced with decent work and living wages in order to support Goal 8.

Goal 2 Targets

Targets of goal 2.

• End hunger and ensure year-round access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food
• End malnutrition and address nutritional needs of all groups
• Double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers
• Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices
• Maintain the genetic diversity of plants and animals though seed and plant banks and share benefits of genetic resources and traditional knowledge
• SDG Compass
• UN Global Compact Industry Matrix
• Global Opportunity Explorer
• Navigating the SDGs: a business guide to engaging with the UN Global Goals
• SDG Reporting - An Analysis of the Goals and Targets
• Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, Goal 2
• Improving nutrition through agriculture (IFAD)
• Better Business, Better World
• UNICEF Position Paper: Ready-to-use therapeutic food for children with severe acute malnutrition
• Global food losses and food waste

Previous Goal

About . Click to expand section.

• Our History
• Team & Board
• Transparency and Accountability

What We Do . Click to expand section.

• Cycle of Poverty
• Climate & Environment
• Emergencies & Refugees
• Health & Nutrition
• Livelihoods
• Gender Equality
• Where We Work

Take Action . Click to expand section.

• Attend an Event
• Partner With Us
• Fundraise for Concern
• Work With Us
• Leadership Giving
• Humanitarian Training
• Newsletter Sign-Up

Donate . Click to expand section.

• Give Monthly
• Donate in Honor or Memory
• Leave a Legacy
• DAFs, IRAs, Trusts, & Stocks
• Employee Giving

9 World hunger solutions to get us to 2030

Apr 25, 2022

Contents . Click to expand section.

The global hunger crisis has only gotten larger since COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean we can’t solve it.

A combination of conflict, the climate crisis, and the ripple effects of COVID-19 have left the world losing progress in the fight for Zero Hunger . But that doesn't mean that all hope is lost. Some are relatively simple, short-term solutions. Others are more complex, requiring lasting change and commitment at the international level. But it's a cause worth fighting for. Here are nine world hunger solutions that are guiding Concern's work in 25 countries around the globe.

Add Impact to Your Inbox

1. embrace climate smart agriculture.

Climate change and hunger exist in a vicious cycle. More frequent and longer-lasting periods of extreme temperatures, flood events, and dry spells leave many families — especially those who work in agriculture — unable to put food on the table. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a broad term that encompasses a number of practices. But all of these solutions allow farmers to adapt and become more resilient against an unpredictable climate.

These practices include diversifying crop varieties, conservation agriculture, and low-water sack gardens. Time and again, we’ve seen families benefit both nutritionally and financially from these solutions.

Fighting hunger in Ethiopia — the Irish way

The humble Irish potato is fighting climate change and transforming lives in the Ethiopian highlands.

2. Respond to the refugee crisis

Forced migration is a key cause of hunger, and we are currently in the middle of an unprecedented global refugee crisis . This is also true for other forms of displacement. Refugees and IDPs are some of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to hunger. So are their host communities , whose resources are often very thinly spread.

Much of the work to stop conflict needs to take place on a government and policy level, but one way Concern can help is through programs that facilitate new ways to generate income. For example, Syrian refugee women and their Lebanese neighbors have learned to make staples like cheese and yogurt, as well as how to sell them at market for a profit. For those who wish to return home to Syria , this will also be an essential skill to have when the country eventually rebuilds its infrastructure.

3. Advocate for gender equality

Gender equality is another key solution to world hunger, especially in two key areas: agriculture and maternal and child health .

Women make up approximately half of the agricultural workforce in many of the countries where Concern works, and data from the Food and Agriculture Organization suggest that giving female farmers equal access to resources as their male counterparts could increase production on their farms by 20-30%. This could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world by up to 150 million.

Hunger affects maternal health , making female nutrition essential to ending hunger. According to the World Food Programme, women are more likely than men to go hungry in nearly two-thirds of the world’s countries. By prioritizing women’s health and nutrition, we can prevent not only health complications for them if and when they have children, but also for the children they bear. This begins with puberty and continues through pregnancy, breastfeeding, and on through healthy habits that children can maintain for the rest of their lives.

4. Reduce food waste

Currently, one-third of all food produced is wasted — that's over 1.3 billion tons. Producing this wasted food also wastes other natural resources. It requires an amount of water equal to the annual flow of Russia’s Volga River, and creates 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases.

Ending food waste would be a radical shift, but it’s one that you can be a part of by simply reducing your own food waste. It’s especially important in countries like the United States (which contribute more to climate change but feel the effects less than more vulnerable countries) to take these steps towards climate justice . You can also ask your representatives to commit to policies that reduce waste and better the whole food system .

5. Invest in disaster risk reduction

Investing in disaster risk reduction — especially in vulnerable communities — mitigates potential losses in the wake of disasters for those who stand to lose the most. Most of the people with whom we work are involved in subsistence agriculture, meaning that they grow what they eat. For many, their harvests are never enough, and the prospect of losing what they do grow is the very definition of disaster. Simple techniques to protect and diversify crops can be very effective. Protecting the homestead and livestock is important too; losing vital shelter and assets can quickly lead to hunger.

6. Support hygiene and sanitation

Sometimes, people (especially children) eat enough. But if they live in an area with insufficient sanitation or poor hygiene practices, they may be susceptible to diarrhea or other waterborne illnesses that prevent them from absorbing those nutrients. Making sure that drinking and washing water are uncontaminated can save a life — in more ways than one.

7. Control infestations and crop infections

It's not just drought and flood that we have to worry about. Crops may also be decimated by pest or fungus invasions. When we entered this decade, eastern Africa (including Kenya , Ethiopia , Somalia , and South Sudan ) faced an unprecedented locust crisis , the effects of which are still being felt. Some locust swarms were as large as 25 miles in diameter and moved on to invade central Africa and even parts of West Asia including Yemen, Iraq , and Iran. Over 13 million people were estimated to have gone hungry as a result.

In these extreme cases, aerial spray is the only way to effectively curb swarms. But other agricultural practices can confront smaller-scale invasions or deadly funguses that can also destroy crops and raise food prices. Disaster preparedness goes a long way here, too, as cash transfers , new seeds, and supplies can offset these losses.

8. Enhance crops with biofortification

With limited resources (including land, labor, and finances), the poorest farmers tend to focus on growing a limited number of crops such as maize , rice, pearl millet, beans, and sweet potatoes. This means that they often lose out on food rich in micronutrients like Vitamin A and iron. This can lead to significant micronutrient deficiencies that can leave lifelong impacts on young children.

Though Concern works with farming communities and households to diversify their crop production, we also promote the use of biofortified crops, including iron-enriched beans and pearl millet, as well as sweet potatoes (which are higher in Vitamin A). All of the biofortified crops that Concern promotes are the result of conventional breeding in the countries where they are being promoted. These crops allow families to greatly increase their intake of those critical micronutrients in the short-term. They can also be saved by farmers for subsequent replanting without loss of the biofortified traits.

9. Improving Food Storage Systems

What if you have plenty of food, but lack the storage solutions to make it last? This is another problem that, when solved, can make a big difference in closing the hunger gap. Sometimes this requires big interventions, like building or rehabilitating grain stores. Other times, this is a change that can happen at the household level.

One innovation Concern has introduced into women’s self-help groups around the world are solar dryers. Sun-drying vegetables, a traditional practice, preserves micronutrients and prolongs shelf lives. Solar dryers, which operate by (you guessed it) exposure to sunlight are eco-friendly devices that accelerate this process, while also reducing contamination and minimizing nutrient loss.

How to solve world hunger: Concern's approach

The majority of people Concern works with are involved in some way with farming and food production. Many of these communities are also on the frontlines of climate change. We work with rural communities to promote Climate Smart Agriculture, an approach that helps families adapt to better crops, growing techniques, and soil improvement practices in response to the changing — and often unpredictable — environment. We also work to strengthen links with the private sector to facilitate access to supplies and equipment.

We combine this with our award-winning and standard-setting program, Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) , which has saved millions of lives over the past 20 years. We’ve continued to work with partners and communities to find more tailored approaches to community-based treatment of childhood malnutrition, which has led to CMAM Surge: a way of proactively responding to malnutrition during seasonal “surge” periods throughout the year. Two CMAM Surge pilot tests in Kenya in 2012 saw that the model managed peaks, without undermining other health and nutrition efforts.

Supporting Concern means that $0.93 of every dollar donated goes to our life-saving work in 25 countries around the world. Last year, we were able to reach over 11.4 million people with our health and nutrition initiatives.

Turn Your Concern Into Action

Your generosity helps us reach the world’s most vulnerable people.

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Get emails with stories from around the world.

You can change your preferences at any time. By subscribing, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You are currently accessing Business Green via your Enterprise account.

If you already have an account please use the link below to sign in .

If you have any problems with your access or would like to request an individual access account please contact our customer service team.

Phone: +44 (0) 1858 438800

Email: [email protected]

The BusinessGreen Guide to the SDGs: SDG2 - Zero Hunger

Our at a glance guide to the SDGs continues with SDG2 and the pledge to 'end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture'

The targets.

SDG2 includes five targets and three sub-targets, as well as 13 indicators.

2.1 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.

2.2 By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons.

2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.

2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

2.5 By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.

2.A Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries.

2.B Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round.

2.C Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility.

Progress to date

The UN's most recent SDG progress report for SDG2 starts on a bleak note. "After a prolonged decline, world hunger appears to be on the rise again," it states. "Conflict, drought and disasters linked to climate change are among the key factors causing the reversal in the long-term progress in fighting global hunger, making the prospect of ending hunger and malnutrition by 2030 more difficult."

The increase in the global undernourishment rate is marginal - climbing from 10.6 per cent in 2015 to 11 per cent in 2016 - but it amounts to 38 million more people going hungry and the potential long term causes of the reversal have policymakers globally extremely worried. Is this a blip caused by food price spikes and protracted conflicts in parts of the Middle East and Africa or is this one of the clearest signs yet that long-projected climate impacts are starting to bite?

Either way, the implications are severe. Malnutrition-induced stunting - where children are too short for their age - is declining in almost every region, but it still impacts 22 per cent of children under five globally. Meanwhile, further evidence of a flawed global food system is provided by the fact that last year 51 million children under five were suffering from wasting, while 38 million were affected by obesity.

Assessing progress on agricultural sustainability remains difficult given the huge number of metrics involved and the massive variations from region to region, but one figure stands out that suggests governments are yet to fully recognise the scale of the challenge: government expenditure in the agricultural sector as a share of GDP fell from 0.38 per cent in 2001 to 0.23 per cent in 2016.

There are few, if any, large scale government-backed sustainable agriculture programmes in operation and R&D funding across the sector is also notoriously underpowered.

However, there is also a potentially encouraging explanation for the fall in government expenditure, as the UN notes progress has been made in reducing subsidies that distort world agricultural markets, with export subsidies having halved inside five years from $491m in 2010 to less than $200m in 2015.

Business implications

SDG2 mirrors SDG1 in its remarkable breadth. Everybody needs to eat; every business has a stake in the food supply chain, whether directly as producers or consumers of food, or indirectly through the need for healthy employees and stable, food-secure societies; every country needs a sustainable agricultural sector, arguably above all else.

As such, all businesses can support SDG2 by purchasing food with strong sustainability credentials, promoting good nutrition amongst staff and stakeholders, and lobbying for a greater policy focus on sustainable agriculture and climate adaptation.

However, it is for businesses with a direct role in the food supply chain where SDG2 will inevitably have the biggest impact. The inter-locking goals of ending hunger and poor nutrition while embracing sustainable agriculture that improves "capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters" requires sustained increased in yields and higher productivity. But such improvements need to be delivered without the unsustainable intensification that has accelerated soil and biodiversity loss in many parts of the world.

The goal's targets imply systems change across the agri-food industry centred on drastically improved supply chain transparency, ever closer co-operation between farmers - including developing economy smallholders - and end customers, increased R&D spend, a better understanding of ecosystem services, more effective policy interventions and subsidy reforms, and an end to gaming the food commodity market in a way that creates food price volatility.

Business risks

As the most recent UN progress report makes clear SDG2 will be very difficult to achieve. The world is engaged in a race against time to accelerate the adoption of sustainable agricultural methods and enhance food security at a faster rate than climate impacts undermine yields. A failure to win this race would see businesses the world over have to wrestle with rising food prices and the social and economic insecurity that would inevitably result.

More specifically, businesses operating in the food and agriculture space face a web of risks relating to both the supply chain disruption that will likely come if sustainable agricultural practices are not embraced and the disruption that will inevitably accompany attempts to push the sector towards new approaches.

Risks include increased climate impacts leading to higher food prices and availability risks, as well as food price spikes contributing to economic, social, and political instability.

At the same time changes to agricultural subsidies could spark a major shake out of the sector that could lead to further consolidation, while tighter regulations to protect ecosystems and measures to secure fairer deals for farmers at the end of the supply chain could leading to higher short term costs for some operators.

Finally, emerging biotechnologies and changing consumer appetites, such as the trend for vegetarianism, could destroy value and lead to stranded assets for firms that fail to adapt.

Business opportunities

The global effort to deliver on SDG2 should improve the long term risk profiles for all businesses and also create a raft of specific business opportunities arising from the transition to sustainable agricultural techniques.

Reduced levels of malnutrition and food price volatility is likely to result in stronger economic growth in emerging markets and reduced risks of economic, social, and political instability globally. Meanwhile, improved climate resilience and genetic diversity of seeds and livestock should help minimise wider climate and security risks.

Increased R&D across the agricultural sector promises to also unlock a new era of innovation for a highly conservative and inefficient industry, bringing massive resource and cost savings across the piece. At the same time the targeted doubling of yields promises improved financial returns throughout the supply chain.

Similarly, improved nutrition has the potential to bolster economic growth and enhance productivity through improved health across the workforce.

And the nascent trends towards vegetarianism and more sustainable agriculture promises to cut methane emissions, curb deforestation, enhance ecosystem services, and free up more land for biodiversity, while also opening up major new technology-led markets.

Ultimately, businesses that take a holistic approach to SDG2 demonstrating progress in supporting smallholders, protecting habitats, and promoting sustainable practices, while tackling hunger and delivering healthy products should reap dividends amongst an increasingly values-led employee and customer base.

Related Topics

Previous Article

'Morally indefensible': Gove announces food waste crackdown in conference speech

Next Article

Missed green opportunities at the Conservative Party Conference

Author spotlight

James murray, more from james murray.

'A turning point for nature and society': Dramatic adoption of EU Nature Restoration Law paves way for green policy overhaul

Could an offshore wind boom hold the key to Labour's ambitious clean power goals?

Study: Clean energy firms sitting on more than 700GW of 'shovel ready' projects

'green will be the colour of the zeitgeist': why dale vince is backing labour, reform manifesto vows to 'scrap net zero' and issue new fracking licenses, octopus energy and tesla team up for flexible grid push, green homes: government in high court to defend 'watering down' of green planning rules, more on management.

Becky Willan: 'Sustainability can only be achieved effectively if it is humanised'

Co-founder and CEO of Given reflects on earning her sustainability stripes at The Body Shop and her focus on hiring people who know how to rewire business models

Sainsbury's offers Nectar points to customers who charge up EVs on site

Supermarket says the move makes means its expanding EV charging network is the first in the UK to offer loyalty card rewards

How have the UK Green Business Awards changed over the past 14 years?

The UK Green Business Awards and their forerunner the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards have now been running for over a decade - and Trewin Restorick has judged them all

ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

Sustainable development goal: zero hunger.

More than 800 million people around the world are hungry. The United Nations’s second Sustainable Development Goal, Zero Hunger, aims to end world hunger by 2030.

Conservation, Social Studies, Civics, Economics

Migrants in Italy

People displaced from their homes because of war and conflict—as some of the migrants shown here in Rome, Italy, likely are—often are vulnerable to hunger.

Photograph by Stefano Montesi/Corbis

In 2012, at the United Nations (UN) Conferences on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, world representatives created the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The purpose of creating SDGs was “to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world,” according to the UN Development Programme. There are 17 SDGs that the UN hopes to meet by 2030, the second of which is Zero Hunger . Hunger is not caused by food shortage alone, but by a combination of natural, social, and political forces. Currently, natural resources that are necessary for human survival—like freshwater, the ocean, forests, soils, and more—are dwindling. Climate change is contributing to the degradation of precious resources, as severe weather events, like droughts, become more common and affect harvests, leading to less food for human consumption. Poverty and inequality are also two drivers of hunger, affecting who can buy food, as well as what kind of food, and how much, is available. Hunger is also a product of war and conflict. During periods of unrest, a country's economy and infrastructure can become severely damaged. This negatively affects civilian access to food by either driving up food prices, interfering with food production, or forcing people from their homes. Some governments and military groups have even used starvation as a war tactic, cutting off civilians from their food supply. In 2018, the UN declared this tactic a war crime . With these problems in mind, the world needs sustainable solutions to adequately feed each person on the planet. Right now, there are around 815 million people who are hungry. This number is only expected to increase as the years go on; the UN estimates that two billion more people will be undernourished by 2050. The Zero Hunger SDG focuses on finding sustainable solutions to stop world hunger. The goals of the Zero Hunger initiative are to end hunger and make sure that enough nutritious foods are available to people by 2030. Other aspects of the goal include ending all forms of malnutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture . One environmental scientist that is working to alleviate world hunger is Jennifer Anne Burney. She is a National Geographic Explorer and associate professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California at San Diego. Concentrating on ensuring food security for the world as well as limiting climate change, Burney designs and uses technologies to improve food and nutrition security.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Production Managers

Program specialists, last updated.

October 19, 2023

User Permissions

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service .

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.

Related Resources

Paul College of Business and Economics: Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger

• Introduction
• Zero Hunger
• Good Health and Well-being
• Quality Education
• Gender Equality
• Clean Water and Sanitation
• Affordable and Clean Energy
• Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• Reduced Inequalities
• Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Responsible Consumption and Production
• Climate Action
• Life Below Water
• Life on Land
• Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
• Partnership for the Goals

Case Studies

• Food Forward: How Volunteer Teams Move Surplus Produce From Tree to Table Available through Sage Business Cases via UNH Library
• Green Monday Available through Harvard Business Publishing
• Revolution Foods: Addressing Food Insecurity During the Pandemic Available through Sage Business Cases via UNH Library
• We Don’t Waste and Their Innovative Food Recovery for the Hungry: Growth Complications With Non-profits Available through Sage Business Cases via UNH Library

Data & Statistics related to "Zero Hunger"

• Dataset: 2017 Global Hunger Index Data The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger globally, by region and country.
• Dataset: Insufficient Food Intake Data from the World Food Programme
• Countries that are most affected by hunger and malnutrition according to the Global Hunger Index 2021
• Number of undernourished/starving people worldwide from 2000 to 2019
• Number of severely food insecure people worldwide in 2021, by region
• Global attitudes towards food waste in selected countries in 2020

Topics related to "Zero Hunger"

• Online Course: Feeding a Hungry Planet (SDG Academy)
• End Hunger UN Goal: Boston action How is Boston tracking toward SDG 2: Zero Hunger?
• A Coalition of Action for Achieving Zero Hunger
• Kroger's Zero Hunger, Zero Waste Plan
• Business backs Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge led by WBCSD and partners
• Ending Hunger- World Food Programme
• UN Pathways to Zero Hunger
• Innovative Solutions to Food Waste

UN Sustainable Development Goal #2

UNH Library Books

• << Previous: No Poverty
• Next: Good Health and Well-being >>
• Last Updated: Mar 20, 2024 1:00 PM
• URL: https://libraryguides.unh.edu/PCBESustainability

The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than half a billion (62 percent) of the world’s undernourished people and over 100 million stunted children, resulting in the suffering of millions and, all too often, premature death.

This is unacceptable in a region which has been showing strong economic growth in recent decades. It is also home to a vast majority of the world’s smallholder farmers who presently produce enough food for all.

Regional Initiative on Zero Hunger

Zero Hunger is a vision of the world free of hunger and malnutrition, in which no on is left behind.

The global Zero Hunger Challenge (ZHC) was initiated at the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012. Since then, FAO has been working to meet that goal. The Regional Initiative on Zero Hunger in Asia and the Pacific (RI-ZH) has been implemented in Bangladesh, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal and Timor-Leste. It has been further extended to Cambodia, Viet Nam, Fiji, Pakistan and Thailand.

Three Main Thematic Components Structure Zero Hunger work:

• Formulation of food security and nutrition strategy, policy and coordination mechanism including sectoral policy;
• Promotion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture; 
• Data analysis and monitoring of SDGs for decision-making.

RI-ZH is implemented under FAO’s Strategic Objective 1 (SO1), and is also contributing to the remaining four SO’s – SO2, SO3, SO4 and SO5, and, of course, directly contributes to achieving SDG 2 – the eradication of hunger by 2030.

Main Regional Activities: 

• Concept note and agenda
• Keynote presentation, by Dr Mahmoud El Solh, Member of the High Level Panel for Food Security and Nutrition, Committee of World Food Security (HLPE/CFS)
• Watch full video recording (passcode:REG3103+)
• ASEAN/FAO Multi-sectoral Consultation to Improve Nutrition Policies through Inter-sectoral Coordination on 24 February 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand
• Regional Expert Consultation on Scoping, Prioritizing and Mapping of Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species in Asia on 3-5 December 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand 
• Concept note 
• Recommendations 
• Final report
• Concept note
• Meeting report
• Text of the Special recorded remarks of FAO Special Goodwill Ambassador for Zero Hunger, Her Royal Highness, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand – call for action on Zero Hunger
• Video of the Special recorded remarks of FAO Special Goodwill Ambassador for Zero Hunger, Her Royal Highness, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand – call for action on Zero Hunger
• Provisional agenda
• Recommendations

Main National Activities: 

• Technical Symposium on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture in Bangladesh: Bringing Agriculture into the Dialogue for Improving Nutrition Outcomes
• Monitoring Report 2016 of the National Food Policy Plan of Action (NFP PoA) and the Country Investment Plan (CIP)
• Lao PDR government staff study tour to Bangladesh to learn Bangladesh’s experiences in strengthening capacity for mainstreaming nutrition into agriculture and promoting community-based nutrition-sensitive interventions
• Measuring Food Security in Bangladesh: Challenges and Way-Forward

Launch of Zero Hunger Challenge National Action Plan Document

Preparation of right to food bill, food and nutrition security plan of action, timor-leste.

• National Save Food Campaign with the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) and in partnership with the University of Timor-Leste 
• Inter-ministerial Food Security and Sovereignty and Nutrition Council in Timor-Leste (KONSSANTIL) conducted the National Zero Hunger Campaign
• Implementation of the Zero Hunger National Action Plan (PAN-HAM-TIL) pilot activities in focus villages of the municipalities of Manufahi, Bobonaro and Baucau
• Highlights of the rapid assessment conducted by MAF on the impact and losses brought by the El Niño phenomenon in 2015/16 to agriculture and its negative effects on the livelihoods, food security and nutrition of rural communities in Timor-Leste
• Decision on “Promulgating the National Action Plan on Zero Hunger In Vietnam By 2025” approved by the Prime Minister on 12 June 2018 
• High-level meeting in February 2016 with the UN Resident Coordinator, Ministers of the Ministry of Rural Development and FAO in Viet Nam 
• Establishment of a National Steering Committee on Zero Hunger in May 2016
• Coordination Office for National Action Plan on Zero Hunger Challenge within the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development in November 2016

7 ways WFP is innovating to reach zero hunger

As the world's largest humanitarian organization, the World Food Programme (WFP)'s digital transformation is about embracing new technologies and data that will help realize the goal of zero hunger by 2030.

A raft of bold tools and approaches are being deployed across our global operations, fuelled by a culture of innovation that permeates throughout the organization. Here are 7 ways we are innovating to end hunger:

In Jordan, we deploy blockchain technology that allows more than 100,000 Syrian refugees to buy groceries from local shops using iris scans instead of cash, paper vouchers or credit cards. When refugees visit a store, their eyes ‘unlock' a virtual account and the bill is settled without them opening their wallets. To date, more than US$64 million has been disbursed by WFP through this Building Blocks pilot, which makes cash transfers faster, cheaper and more secure.

Hydroponics

H2Grow allows people threatened by hunger to grow their own food in harsh conditions, using saline solutions instead of soil, in seven countries.

In the vast, arid Algerian desert and amidst the world's most protracted refugee crisis, more than 200 hydroponic units are producing animal fodder which boosts the milk and meat yield of goats. This is turn improves food security for some of the thousands of Sahrawi refugees, the bulk of whom arrived between 1975 and 1976 to escape violence in Western Sahara.

Elsewhere, a H2Grow pilot project in the desert-slums of Lima, where malnutrition poses a serious threat to children and adults, has provided more than 200 vulnerable women with training and equipment to grow their own food. Many are growing vegetables to diversify their families' diet, while some also sell their produce for extra income.

Hunger Map LIVE

This monitoring system uses Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to predict and track the magnitude and severity of hunger in over 90 countries in close to real-time. It brings together streams of information on food security, nutrition, conflict, weather and a variety of economic data in one place, with advanced data visualization tools converting the analysis at global, country and subnational levels. The map, launched with Alibaba Group at this year's UN General Assembly, allows WFP, the broader humanitarian community and global leaders to monitor progress and identify trends earlier, which means better-informed decision making, quicker responses and reduced costs.

When Cyclone Desmond struck Mozambique in January 2019, drones collected post-disaster data that enabled a better-informed emergency response . WFP also uses drones to monitor the more gradual impact of climate change, closely watching moisture, soil and crop health, and to provide access to data not visible to the naked eye. We are training government staff in the use of drones in countries including Ethiopia , building their abilities to deploy the technology without WFP's assistance.

This innovation replaces paper-based registries, ration cards and corporate reports with a beneficiary smartcard and an electronic database. A cloud-based server provides speedy transfer of data even in places with low bandwidth and poor connectivity or electricity. SCOPE CODA is used in nutrition programmes for over 15,000 beneficiaries in countries including South Sudan, Tajikistan and Uganda, providing refugees with their entitlements and telling health workers if a child is acutely or severely malnourished, if they require immediate medical attention, or if they are now healthy. Partners including governments, other UN agencies and NGOs use the database, which increases coordination. There are plans to roll the technology out across other WFP activities.

A unique project helping both young refugees and the communities hosting them as they try to emerge from the effects of conflict or economic crisis and build a better future for themselves, EMPACT has already trained more than 2,700 students in digital skills in Lebanon and Iraq, working with a network of leading organizations in the private sector.

More than 50 percent of the graduates are women. Benefits include improved career prospects, financial independence and less reliance on humanitarian assistance. The goal is to reach 20,000 students by the end of 2020, with immediate plans to expand to North and East Africa.

ShareTheMeal

WFP's award-winning app is a simple but hugely effective way for people to join us in creating a world with zero hunger. More than 1.6 million users have donated over 47 million meals worth more than US$23 million since its launch in 2015. Families left destitute amidst Yemen's conflict have been among those to benefit, along with refugees in Bangladesh, Lebanon and Uganda. Google and Apple have repeatedly ranked ShareTheMeal as one of the best apps in their stores.

L earn more about WFP's groundbreaking innovations

Advanced search

• Discovery Platform
• Innovation Scouting
• Startup Scouting
• Technology Scouting
• Tech Supplier Scouting
• Venture Clienting
• Startup Program
• Trend Intelligence
• Business Intelligence
• All Industries
• Industry 4.0
• Manufacturing
• Case Studies
• Research & Development
• Corporate Strategy
• Corporate Innovation
• Open Innovation
• New Business Development
• Product Development
• Agriculture
• Construction
• Sustainability
• All Startups
• Circularity
• All Innovation
• Business Trends
• Emerging Tech
• Innovation Intelligence
• New Companies
• Scouting Trends
• Startup Programs
• Supplier Scouting
• Tech Scouting
• Top AI Tools
• Trend Tracking
• All Reports [PDF]
• Circular Economy
• Engineering
• Oil & Gas

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Discover 5 Top Startups working towards Zero Hunger

Curious about new technologies that advance the UN’s SDG #2? Explore our analysis of 407 global startups & scaleups and learn how their zero hunger solutions impact your business!

Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the agricultural & food industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked startups working towards the UN’s Social Development Goal #2 – Zero Hunger.

Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Zero Hunger Solutions out of 407

The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform , covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.

The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 407 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 startups that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 402 zero hunger solutions, get in touch.

Click to download

Schedule Demo

Eden Agritech enables Shelf-Life Extension to Fight Food Waste

Large amounts of food produced annually are wasted while in supply chains or storage. This contributes to food poverty, as well as avoidable greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is why food & agriculture startups are developing new strategies to extend the shelf-life of food products. For instance, innovative coating materials slow down the enzymatic degradation of fresh produce.

Thai startup Eden Agritech creates natural ingredients that enable the shelf-life extension. The startup develops an anti-fouling coating that extends the shelf life of fresh produce by up to three times. The coating prevents oxidation and, thereby, browning of fruits, as well as microbial growth. Maintaining the quality of fresh produce longer reduces waste and spoilage along the agricultural supply chain.

Greencovery provides Circular Ingredients from Side Streams

Agricultural and food waste hurts the food security of economies globally. Often, waste from one food processing unit may have critical ingredients for a different food processing unit. Circular economy solutions redirect food waste into the production of other food items. Moreover, these solutions also reduce the cost of food processing, making food more accessible and affordable to a wider population.

Greencovery is a Dutch startup that upcycles valuable ingredients from food side streams. The startup’s technology helps food manufacturers and distributors discover new sources of sustainable ingredients. The company develops the processes necessary to recover ingredients from the food stream. Lastly, it also helps companies scale up the production of the ingredients.

Vultus uses Precision Farming to Generate Higher Yields

Increasing farming yield is critical to feeding a growing population without further deforestation for agricultural land . This is where precision farming solutions come in. Combining data from sensors and aerial or satellite images, these solutions determine the exact amount of inputs required for each unit square. In addition to increasing yield, this makes farming more sustainable and profitable by reducing unnecessary usage of agrochemicals.

Swedish startup Vultus develops satellite solutions for precision farming. By analyzing satellite images, the startup determines the exact fertilizer needs for any farm. It also detects threats such as pests weeks before the symptoms are visible to the naked eye. Additionally, the startup provides insights on plant health, water stress, and weather patterns, as well as intra-field performance over periods ranging from weeks to years.

Agbotic builds Smart Farms to enable Resilient and Sustainable Farming

AgriTech and food startups are rapidly incorporating information technologies to increase yield and automate production. Some of these technologies include the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, computer vision, and advanced robotics. Smart farms, for example, leverage technology to grow more food while reducing the environmental impact. As climate change impacts yields from traditional farms, smart farms are critical to meet the UN’s zero hunger SDG.

US-based startup Agbotic develops technology for smart farms. The startup’s SmartFarm platform combines ecology and technology to enable resilient and sustainable farming. It promotes regenerative farming by strategic tree planting, crop rotation , carbon sequestration, and habitat restoration. The startup also utilizes automation and advanced analytics to enable improvements in crop quality and yield while minimizing resource use.

Nextfood offers Automated Vertical Farming

Urban farming solutions help cities become self-reliant and achieve zero-hunger goals. However, as the land cost is at a premium in cities, traditional farming practices that require large tracts of land are ruled out. This is why AgriTech startups offer vertical farming solutions to produce food at scale, even in limited space.

Nextfood is a Danish startup that provides automated vertical farming solutions. The startup’s autonomous grow system simplifies growing high-quality plants, as well as makes it more predictable. The startup’s solution uses soilless aeroponics to allow growers to precisely control inputs, as well as save water and fertilizers. This presents a sustainable and scalable method to fight hunger in urban settings.

Discover more AgTech & Food Startups

Startups such as the examples highlighted in this report focus on artificial proteins, gene editing, as well as optimized irrigation. While all of these technologies play a major role in advancing the UN’s goal of Zero Hunger, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more technologies, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free Industry Innovation Reports to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.

Discover our Free AgriTech Report 22 pages

Your Name Business Email Company

Get our free newsletter on technology and startups.

Protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Get in touch!

FoodTech 21 pages report

Materials 22 pages report, agritech 22 pages report, logistics 22 pages report.

Leverage our unparalleled data advantage to quickly and easily find hidden gems among 4.7M+ startups, scaleups. Access the world's most comprehensive innovation intelligence and stay ahead with AI-powered precision.

Get in touch

Your Name Business Email Company How can we support you?   (optional)

Protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google  Privacy Policy  and  Terms of Service  apply.

The Sustainable Development Agenda

17 Goals for People, for Planet

World leaders came together in 2015 and made a historic promise to secure the rights and well-being of everyone on a healthy, thriving planet when they adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .

The Agenda remains the world’s roadmap for ending poverty, protecting the planet and tackling inequalities. The 17 SDGs, the cornerstone of the Agenda, offer the most practical and effective pathway to tackle the causes of violent conflict, human rights abuses, climate change and environmental degradation and aim to ensure that no one will be left behind. The SDGs reflect an understanding that sustainable development everywhere must integrate economic growth, social well-being and environmental protection.

Keeping the Promise

While a fragile global economy, rising conflicts and the climate emergency have placed the promise of the Goals in peril, we can still turn things around in the remaining seven years. Notably, there has been some SDG success since 2015 with improvements in key areas, including poverty reduction, child mortality, electricity access and the battle against certain diseases.

Countries continue to supercharge efforts to achieve the SDGs. We see this at the annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development — the central platform for reviewing progress on the SDGs — where for the last eight years, countries, civil society and businesses have gathered to showcase the bold actions they are taking to achieve the SDGs.

Every four years, the High-Level Political Forum meets under the auspices of the UN General Assembly, known as the SDG Summit   . In 2023, the second SDG Summit took place on September 18-19, bringing together Heads of State and Government to catalyze renewed efforts towards accelerating progress on the SDGs. The Summit culminated in the adoption of  a  political declaration   to accelerate action to achieve the 17 goals.

SDG Report 2023

The annual SDG reports provide an overview of the world’s implementation efforts to date, highlighting areas of progress and where more action needs to be taken. They are prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with input from international and regional organizations and the United Nations system of agencies, funds and programmes. Several national statisticians, experts from civil society and academia also contribute to the reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sustainable development?

• Sustainable development has been defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• Sustainable development calls for concerted efforts towards building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people and planet.
• For sustainable development to be achieved, it is crucial to harmonize three core elements: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. These elements are interconnected and all are crucial for the well-being of individuals and societies.
• Eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. To this end, there must be promotion of sustainable, inclusive and equitable economic growth, creating greater opportunities for all, reducing inequalities, raising basic standards of living, fostering equitable social development and inclusion, and promoting integrated and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems.

How will the Sustainable Development Goals be implemented?

• The Addis Ababa Action Agenda  that came out of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development provided concrete policies and actions to support the implementation of the new agenda.
• Implementation and success will rely on countries’ own sustainable development policies, plans and programmes, and will be led by countries. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a compass for aligning countries’ plans with their global commitments.
• Nationally owned and country-led sustainable development strategies will require resource mobilization and financing strategies.
• All stakeholders: governments, civil society, the private sector, and others, are expected to contribute to the realisation of the new agenda.
• A revitalized global partnership at the global level is needed to support national efforts. This is recognized in the 2030 Agenda.
• Multi-stakeholder partnerships have been recognized as an important component of strategies that seek to mobilize all stakeholders around the new agenda.

How will the Sustainable Development Goals be monitored?

• At the global level, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets of the new agenda will be monitored and reviewed using a set of global indicators. The global indicator framework for Sustainable Development Goals was developed by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) and agreed upon at the 48 th  session of the United Nations Statistical Commission held in March 2017.
• Governments will also develop their own national indicators to assist in monitoring progress made on the goals and targets.
• Chief statisticians from Member States are working on the identification of the targets with the aim to have 2 indicators for each target. There will be approximately 300 indicators for all the targets. Where the targets cover cross-cutting issues, however, the number of indicators may be reduced.
• The follow-up and review process will be informed by an annual SDG Progress Report to be prepared by the Secretary-General.
• The annual meetings of the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development will play a central role in reviewing progress towards the SDGs at the global level. The means of implementation of the SDGs will be monitored and reviewed as outlined in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the outcome document of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, to ensure that financial resources are effectively mobilized to support the new sustainable development agenda.

How much will the implementation of this sustainable development agenda cost?

• To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, annual investment requirements across all sectors have been estimated at around $5-7 trillion. Current investment levels are far from the scale needed. With global financial assets estimated at over $200 trillion, financing is available, but most of these resources are not being channeled towards sustainable development at the scale and speed necessary to achieve the SDGs and objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
• Interest and investment in the Sustainable Development Goals are growing and investment in the Goals makes economic sense. Achieving the SDGs could open up US$12 trillion of market opportunities and create 380 million new jobs by 2030.
• The  Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance , a UN-supported coalition of 30 business leaders  announced  in October 2019, works to provide decisive leadership in mobilizing resources for sustainable development and identifying incentives for long-term sustainable investments.Net Official Development Assistance totaled $149 billion in 2018, down by 2.7% in real terms from 2017.

How does climate change relate to sustainable development?

• Climate change is already impacting public health, food and water security, migration, peace and security. Climate change, left unchecked, will roll back the development gains we have made over the last decades and will make further gains impossible.
• Investments in sustainable development will help address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resilience.
• Conversely, action on climate change will drive sustainable development.
• Tackling climate change and fostering sustainable development are two mutually reinforcing sides of the same coin; sustainable development cannot be achieved without climate action. Conversely, many of the SDGs are addressing the core drivers of climate change.

Are the Sustainable Development Goals legally binding?

• No. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not legally binding.
• Nevertheless, countries are expected to take ownership and establish a national framework for achieving the 17 Goals.
• Implementation and success will rely on countries’ own sustainable development policies, plans and programmes.
• Countries have the primary responsibility for follow-up and review, at the national, regional and global levels, with regard to the progress made in implementing the Goals and targets by 2030.
• Actions at the national level to monitor progress will require quality, accessible and timely data collection and regional follow-up and review.

How are the Sustainable Development Goals different from the MDGs?

• The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets are broader in scope and go further than the MDGs by addressing the root causes of poverty and the universal need for development that works for all people. The goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.
• Building on the success and momentum of the MDGs, the new goals cover more ground, with ambitions to address inequalities, economic growth, decent jobs, cities and human settlements, industrialization, oceans, ecosystems, energy, climate change, sustainable consumption and production, peace and justice.
• The new Goals are universal and apply to all countries, whereas the MDGs were intended for action in developing countries only.
• A core feature of the SDGs is their strong focus on means of implementation—the mobilization of financial resources—capacity-building and technology, as well as data and institutions.
• The new Goals recognize that tackling climate change is essential for sustainable development and poverty eradication. SDG 13 aims to promote urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Pumped hydro's future uncertain in Queensland ahead of looming budget and state election

The Queensland government has not been "fair dinkum" with the public on its ambitious pumped hydro plans, the state opposition says.

But the LNP itself is facing calls from environmentalists to reveal its alternative plans to reach emissions reduction targets ahead of October's state election.

The government-owned Queensland Hydro is developing two major projects — one in the Pioneer Valley near Mackay and the other at Borumba near Gympie.

The $12 billion project in the Pioneer Valley is the centrepiece of the landmark 10-year Queensland Energy and Jobs plan, which is estimated to support up to 100,000 jobs by 2040.

The plan aims to have 50 per cent of the state powered by renewable energy by 2030, 70 per cent by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035.

The state also has an emissions reduction target of 75 per cent by 2035. 

But the projects have left impacted local residents questioning whether the social cost of developing them is worth it .

Doug Cannon, who heads the Save Eungella group, said the Pioneer-Burdekin project had "completely divided" the community.

"It's quite concerning that we're going to be throwing billions of dollars at a project that we've got no idea about," he said.

LNP leader David Crisafulli told the ABC there had been "no planning approvals, no business case and no environmental assessment" for the Pioneer-Burdekin scheme.

"The government can't say how much it's going to cost or the impact on people's power bills," he said.

"Is it any wonder we said we can't support that project, because the government hasn't been fair dinkum.

"Now even the federal government in their budget didn't provide one cent towards the project. I think that gives you an indication of what people in the marketplace think about it."

Mr Crisafulli said Tuesday's state budget would be an indicator of the government's intentions for the project.

$26 billion for renewable energy

Energy Minister Mick de Brenni told the ABC there would be money in the budget for a range of energy projects.

"There'll be further investment into both of our pumped hydro energy storage schemes, so Borumba on the Sunshine Coast and the Pioneer-Burdekin up in North Queensland near Mackay," he said.

The government late last week announced it would invest $26 billion in the budget to renewable energy projects and assets.

While initial detail was scant, the government said $16.5 billion of that would go towards renewable energy and storage projects.

The business case for the $14.2 billion Borumba scheme has been signed off by the government, which is now progressing through its environmental approvals stage.

Mr de Brenni said he was confident the Borumba hydro project would pass environmental approvals and not impact the Mary River, which is home to rare and endangered species.

"We'll design it to make sure that it doesn't," he said.

"I've required that there be no impact on environmental flows through that catchment area flowing into the Mary River."

He said both projects had the potential to save Queenslanders money on their power bills.

'We need to see the details'

Dave Copeman from the Queensland Conservation Council said while the state's emissions reduction targets had bipartisan support, he was concerned the LNP "doesn't seem to have a clear plan" on how it would achieve it.

"We need to transition our energy system away from coal and gas," he said.

"We are calling on David Crisafulli to make it clear before the election, if he doesn't support some of the pumped hydro, what's his plan to meet the same [emissions] targets?

"Queenslanders need to know where they stand before this election. And we need to see the details."

The LNP has not publicly stated how it intends to meet emissions targets.

Premier Steven Miles in March apologised to residents living near or in the Pioneer-Burdekin project zone for the "pain and suffering" they had felt during the process .

"In hindsight, we could have definitely handled it better and it's my hope starting today we can do better [by] communicating with you first so you know what's going on," he said at the time.

Mr Cannon from the Save Eungella group said it should be cancelled altogether.

"We shouldn't be looking at projects for renewables in the areas of pristine, unique biodiversity.

"There's plenty of land that we've already destroyed where we can put renewable projects, we don't need to develop more land."

Additional reporting by Alex Easton and Meecham Philpott. 

• X (formerly Twitter)

Related Stories

Win and jim live in a tropical paradise. their home could soon be flooded for the 'greater good'.

Premier apologises to Pioneer Valley locals who could lose homes but says pumped hydro scheme will still go ahead

• Alternative Energy
• Climate Change
• Electricity Production and Distribution
• Environmental Impact
• Hydro Energy
• Lake Borumba
• Maroochydore
• Regional Communities
• State and Territory Government
• State and Territory Parliament

• Business Today
• India Today
• India Today Gaming
• Cosmopolitan
• Harper's Bazaar
• Brides Today
• Aajtak Campus

• Magazine Cover Story Editor's Note Deep Dive Interview The Buzz
• BT TV Market Today Easynomics Drive Today BT Explainer
• Market Today Trending Stocks Indices Stocks List Stocks News Share Market News IPO Corner
• Tech Today Unbox Today Authen Tech Tech Deck Tech Shorts
• Money Today Tax Investment Insurance Tools & Calculator
• Mutual Funds
• Industry Banking IT Auto Energy Commodities Pharma Real Estate Telecom
• Visual Stories

INDICES ANALYSIS

Mutual funds.

• Cover Story
• Editor's Note
• Market Today
• Drive Today
• BT Explainer
• Trending Stocks
• Stocks List
• Stocks News
• Share Market News
• Unbox Today
• Authen Tech
• Tech Shorts
• Tools & Calculator
• Commodities
• Real Estate
• Election with BT
• Economic Indicators
• BT-TR GCC Listing

Amit Shah asks officials to deliver 'strong response', calls for Zero Terror Plan in Jammu amid spate of attacks

He also called for comprehensive security arrangements in the union territory ahead of the upcoming amarnath yatra..

• Updated Jun 17, 2024, 8:32 AM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday directed top security officials at a high-level meeting to deliver a strong response against terrorism and its supporters in Jammu amid a spate of terrorist attacks. He asked the officials to prevent the resurgence of terrorism in the union territory at any cost. 

For this, Shah directed security agencies to replicate the Area Domination Plan and Zero Terror Plan in Jammu. He also called for comprehensive security arrangements in the union territory ahead of the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. The Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to start on June 29 and end on August 19. 

The Home Minister, who recently assumed charge for the third time, urged officials to ensure the safety of all pilgrims, routes and key locations. These locations include Vaishno Devi and Shivkhori, India Today TV reported citing sources. 

Today, in a security review meeting on the Amarnath Yatra, had a thorough discussion with the agencies about the security of the pilgrims. Our government is determined to provide all-round security and all other necessary facilities to the pilgrims of Shri Amarnath. A safe and… pic.twitter.com/j3sb9KVh54 — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 16, 2024

He has directed that additional security forces be deployed along highways. Furthermore, he directed the forces to leverage human intelligence for tracking active terrorists and their supporters in J&K. He also ordered the closure of all infiltration points in the Valley used by foreign terrorists. 

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Army Chief-designate Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of CRPF Anish Dayal Singh, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police RR Swain and other top security officials were among those present at the meeting.

The meeting came days after the Centre decided in another meeting between senior security and intelligence officials that properties of terrorist supporters in Jammu will be confiscated on the lines of Kashmir. In this meeting, it was also decided that cases will be registered against them under serious sections.

The NDA government will also make a list of terrorist sympathisers. It is also being considered that the family members of terrorist supporters would not be given government jobs. After this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held another meeting wherein he directed officials to deploy "full spectrum of counter-terror capabilities" after a spate of terror attacks. 

During the recent past, terrorist struck four places in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir, wherein 9 pilgrims and a CRPF jawan were killed whereas 7 security personnel and several others were left injured. 2 suspected Pakistani terrorists were also killed in an encounter with security forces in Kathua district and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from them. 

(With inputs from Jitendra Bahadur Singh)

TOP STORIES

• Advertise with us
• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Press Releases

Copyright©2024 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today

Add Business Today to Home Screen

Median household wealth for Black Americans is projected to hit $0 by 2053. My estate plan is designed to protect me from that.

• I'm working hard to build wealth, and I want to make sure it lasts forever.
• My estate plan is designed to maintain my assets and ensure I don't leave any surprise debt behind.
• This article is part of " My Financial Life ," a series helping people live and spend better.

Estate planning is a fancy way of saying you're planning for the future — a time when you'll be unable to manage your health and wealth.

Many people focus on financial planning , but not as many think about the broader picture. However, the process doesn't need to be complicated — it's a matter of creating legal documents appointing people to speak and act for you.

I'm an estate-planning attorney, and I've seen how important this process is and where some people's plans fall short.

I want to continue helping others after I'm physically unable to do so. A 2017 study by the Institute for Policy Studies looking at long-term projections for the racial wealth gap found that median Black household wealth could reach zero by 2053. That means my long-term goals need to factor into my estate plan to secure generational wealth.

I want to thrive today and help my future beneficiaries avoid conflicts, excessive taxes , financial burdens, and disputes that could cost time and money.

My financial plan and my estate are intertwined

I considered several questions about my estate when deciding on my financial goals:

• When I reflect on the wealth I have — and the wealth I'm building — what do I want done with it when I die?
• Who is or will be capable of managing my assets?
• What will happen to my digital legacy — my online accounts, digital files, pictures, and investments?
• What tax consequences will my choices have now and in the future?
• How will I keep my estate plan and financial plan updated as my life changes?

My estate plan consists of a financial power of attorney, an advance directive, a guardian nomination, a will, and a trust . As an estate-planning attorney, I frequently encounter families who created a trust but didn't understand how it works and don't have a plan for its upkeep.

My estate plan is designed to support all the assets I leave behind and ensure the financial moves I'm making now stay on track. For example, if I buy a house, I have to make sure there's a plan so my trust (and the trustees I leave in charge) can continue paying for the house. I'm accounting for a mortgage , maintenance and remodeling costs, and property taxes. In one case I saw property taxes go from $3,000 to $11,000 a year following a property transfer.

I want to minimize the debt my trust will have to pay off

If your estate plan is set up correctly, some debts cannot be collected after death. I've chosen to save, invest, and pay down debts to minimize the bills my estate and trust would be responsible for. Considering my estate plan early in life will help me figure out which debts I should pay off first.

When it comes to my plans, the most important part is educating the people around me about my moves and my wishes. It's easy for your plan to fail when the people you leave in charge don't know what to do or how to do it. Having financial conversations and being transparent is the best way to ensure my financial and estate plans remain on track.

My goal is to create a comprehensive financial road map that will address my current needs and future aspirations. I've thought about my financial stability at every stage of life. I've found it helps to think about your long-term goals and values first. Then you can ask yourself the big questions — the who, what, why, and how — and get the ball rolling.

• Main content