The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report

News: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 report was released recently.

What is SOFI report?
• The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report is an annual global monitoring report that documents the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 targets of ending hunger and malnutrition by 2030.
• The report is jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The 2023 edition of the SOFI report, provides a comprehensive overview of the complexities of urbanization, agrifood systems transformation, and healthy diets across the rural-urban continuum.

Key Findings:
• Over 122 million people are facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to the pandemic and repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.
• The report also shows that more than 2.4 billion people did not have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food in 2022, and that more than one-third of adults were overweight or obese.
• The report warns that child malnutrition remains alarmingly high, with 148.1 million children under five years stunted, 45 million wasted, and 37 million overweight in 2021.
• Previously self-sustaining rural regions, especially in Africa and Asia, are now found to be increasingly dependent on national and global food markets.

Key Recommendations:
• The report calls for urgent actions to transform food systems to ensure that everyone can access and afford healthy diets.
• Better data, evidence and monitoring to evaluate the impacts of Urbanization and agrifood systems transformation on food security and nutrition outcomes.