December 24, 2024 | 09:34 GMT +7

  • Click to copy
Wednesday- 08:07, 13/12/2023

In 2023, in Asia-Pacific millions of people have been unable to afford a healthy diet

(VAN) The Asia and Pacific region accounts for half of the world’s severe food insecurity, with more women than men being food insecure.
The Asia and Pacific region accounts for half of the world’s severe food insecurity, with more women than men being food insecure.

The Asia and Pacific region accounts for half of the world’s severe food insecurity, with more women than men being food insecure.

The convergence of higher food, feed and fuel prices, and a slow recovery from the global pandemic, has done serious harm to the health and livelihoods of millions of already vulnerable people in the Asia-Pacific region, a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has revealed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the “5Fs” crisis – Food, Feed, Fuel, Fertilizers and Finance – the region witnessed harrowing statistics, yet even now the region is still suffering from their protracted effects. The latest statistics indicate that the region, with 370.7 million undernourished people, continues to represent half of the global total. Similarly, the Asia and Pacific region accounts for half of the world’s severe food insecurity, with more women than men being food insecure. Indeed, rates of anaemia among women of reproductive age, are still off track in terms of World Health Assembly global nutrition targets. So too are prevalence rates on stunting, wasting and overweight among children under 5 years of age.

Nutrition worsens for millions – women more so than men

The new report, Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023 –  Statistics and Trends, finds that these problems are compounded by the rising cost of a healthy diet, which, according to FAO and UN latest available statistics, rose on average 5.3 percent in purchasing power parity (PPP. It was estimated that 232.8 million people in the region could not afford the cost of a healthy diet.

While the figures of undernourishment vary from country to country in this region, Southern Asia, in particular, has the highest prevalence of undernourishment at 15.6 percent (313.6 million), while more than 809 million are either moderately or severely food insecure in that subregion. This accounts for some 85 percent of the total of undernourished across Asia-Pacific. However, in the South-West Pacific Islands, the per-capita situation is even worse, estimated at 20.9 percent, or one in five inhabitants undernourished.

With the exception of Eastern Asia, women tend to fare worse than men as regards undernutrition, with nearly one-in-ten dealing with severe food insecurity, while nearly one-in-four women deemed to be at least moderately food insecure.

In summary, while the overall numbers are slightly better than the pandemic years, they still indicate that these regions are far off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating hunger by 2030 (SDG2).

A call to action

“This report is by no means exhaustive. However, the facts presented serve as food for thought. At the same time, they will not put meals on the table of the many food-insecure and nutritionally vulnerable people living in this part of the world,” said Jong-Jin Kim, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.

“Clearly, there is an urgent call for whole-of-government, well-coordinated and integrated actions and investments towards agrifood systems transformation if we are to turn the tide and put the countries back on track to meeting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals,” Kim said.

HD

(FAO.org)

Georgia farmers still grappling with $5.5 billion in Hurricane Helene storm losses

Georgia farmers still grappling with $5.5 billion in Hurricane Helene storm losses

(VAN) Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South.

US poultry sector prepares for mass deportations

US poultry sector prepares for mass deportations

(VAN) The US poultry processing industry has long relied on illegal workers, but huge adjustments are going to have to be made after President-elect Donald Trump takes power on 20 January 2025.

The future is dry: Why soil is the sexiest climate solution

The future is dry: Why soil is the sexiest climate solution

(VAN) Drought is projected to affect 75% of the world's population by 2050. Take that in.

Environmentalists call for a revision of poultry welfare standards

Environmentalists call for a revision of poultry welfare standards

(VAN) Voice of Animals, a Russian NGO, has prepared amendments to the draft veterinary regulation in the poultry industry, which is scheduled to come into force on 1 August 2025.

Hunger in the Arab region reaches a new height as challenges intensify

Hunger in the Arab region reaches a new height as challenges intensify

(VAN) From the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa.

A year of change for the UK poultry industry

A year of change for the UK poultry industry

(VAN) A year of change for both the UK’s broiler and egg sectors is highlighted in this year’s Andersons annual Outlook report.

Incredible results of pairing solar panels with agriculture:'We were able to get more from the land'

Incredible results of pairing solar panels with agriculture:'We were able to get more from the land'

(VAN) Agriculture is a necessary part of human existence; on a global scale, unfortunately, it contributes to the climate crisis.

Read more