State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World(SOFI) Report, 2022

Make PDF

SOFI Report and Key findings-

• It is an annual flagship report jointly prepared by FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the WHO.
• It seeks to inform on progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition and to provide in depth analysis on key challenges for achieving this goal in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 
• The 2022 edition of the SOFI report presents updates on the food security and nutrition situation around the world, including the latest estimates of the cost and affordability of a healthy diet. 
• As per the 2022 report, world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030.
• The number of people globally affected by hunger went up to 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020. 
• World hunger levels have gone up by 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Projections that nearly 670 million people, or 8 per cent of the world population, will still be facing hunger in 2030, even if a global economic recovery is considered — are adding to the worrying situation.
• Around 2.3 billion people worldwide (29.3 per cent) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021 — 350 million more compared to before the COVID‑19 pandemic. 
• Nearly 924 million people (11.7 per cent of the global population) faced food insecurity at severe levels, an increase of 207 million in two years.
• The gender gap in food insecurity continued to rise in 2021, 31.9 per cent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure, compared with 27.6 per cent of men.  
• The report also talks of food inflation, which has been on an unprecedented rise worldwide, triggered by two years of the COVID-19 pandemic-induced disruption and now the Russia-Ukraine war. 
• According to the new report estimates, almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up from 112 million in 2019, showing the effects of inflation on consumer food prices.  
• It is pushing up the prices of grain, fertiliser, energy, and ready-to-use therapeutic food for children with severe malnutrition. 
• The report suggested repurposing food and agricultural support to target nutritious foods where per capita consumption does not yet match the recommended levels for healthy diets as one of the ways to support economic recovery. 
• It also pointed out that governments could do more to reduce trade barriers for nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables and pulses.

Make PDF