Tackling food insecurity

VoxDevTalk

Published 11.07.18
Photo credit:
WFP/Abeer Etefa

We produce enough food to feed every single person alive, yet global food insecurity is rising. Arif Husain discusses why and the way forward.

Audio file

We lose about 5% of global GDP due to hunger related diseases, and the situation is getting worse with the number of people living in food insecurity increasing. Yet one-third of all food produced is wasted. Arif Husain, Chief Economist at the World Food Programme, discusses a plethora of issues relating to food insecurity; ranging from the main causes - climate shocks and conflict, to the problem of food wastage, to potential policy solutions. He stresses the importance of sustained political will, multi-stakeholder coordination, women’s empowerment, child nutrition and rural-urban connectivity. Finally, he discusses the politics of humanitarian aid and the difficult trade-off decisions that need to be made in its allocation.