Seven harvests remain until 2030, the year in which the UN aspires to have solved the problem of hunger on the planet. But instead of approaching the goal Zero Hunger, we are moving further and further away from him. Of the 8 billion inhabitants on earth, 800 million are currently suffering from hunger. It is 120 million more than before the coronavirus pandemic.

Eradicating hunger was the focus of the three-day event GFFA Global Forum on Food and Agriculture in Berlin, which took place alongside the international agricultural exhibition “Green Week”, under the chairmanship of the German Minister of Rural Development and Food Cem Ezdemir: “23 of the 800 million who suffer from hunger are the result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he explains the minister. In addition, an estimated 2.4 billion people lacked access to adequate food in 2022, with women and rural residents particularly affected.” More and more obstacles appear in the struggle to eliminate hunger, such as the war in Gaza, but also the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

“To help Asian and African farmers work better”

At the same time, statistics show that approximately 17% of all food produced worldwide ends up as waste. In 2021 the UN’s “Food Index Report” estimated the food that ends up in the trash every year at over 930 million tons. In industrialized countries it is mainly households that throw away large amounts of food. In contrast, in developing countries in Asia and Africa 90% of waste is generated during harvesting, transport and trade. To change this, investments must be made in processing, storage facilities, packaging materials and the like logistics.

Financially contributes to this process as well Germany. Due to the problems with the 2024 budget, however, Berlin was forced to cut development aid by 10%. Many Germans are in favor of cuts. But German Rural Development Minister Cem Ezdemir has a different view: “I hear more and more people saying that taxpayers’ money should stay in Germany. However, by supporting others, we also help ourselves. If we want to reduce those who come to Europe in search of a better future, we must contribute. Not with subsidies, but with everything that helps farmers do their work better and more efficiently. This is all they ask of us.”

Source: DW