Tackling Chronic Hunger Together In 2013

Chronic hunger and undernutrition will be on my radar in 2013 as InterAction’s members intensify their efforts to solve a problem that has no place in the 21st century.

Poverty, conflict and general access to good, nutritious food contribute to one in eight people suffering from undernutrition. Climate change and more mouths to feed even as population growth slows have put ever greater pressure on smallholder farmers in the most impoverished parts of the world. These farmers, who are usually women, need to increase their yields in order to build up resilience to climate change and other shocks. They also need tools to reach markets where surplus food can be sold.

Rural families from Indonesia to Malawi not only need to grow enough food, but also to provide their children with the nutrition they need to avoid the ravages of child stunting. Research shows that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life are vital in helping him or her live a healthy, productive life. A focus on this critical window could save more than 1 million lives a year.

InterAction members play an essential role in ensuring that these efforts aimed at reducing poverty work. NGOs often have decades of experience on the ground, and as a result have the technical expertise, local knowledge and relationships required for lasting improvements that are responsive to local needs. On the sidelines of this year’s UN General Assembly, InterAction members pledged more than $1 billion in private, nongovernmental funds over the next three years to improve food security and nutrition worldwide.

Foundations and corporations, which are beginning to work more closely with governments and NGOs to achieve development goals, are contributing to this effort. At the May 2012 summit of G8 countries, President Barack Obama announced the goal of lifting 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years via inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth. This will supposedly be achieved through private agricultural investments, with $3 billion worth of investments over 10 years.

That nearly a billion people are still hungry is an unacceptable statistic for a problem that can be solved if we all intensify and coordinate our efforts. Only then can ending hunger in a generation become a reality.

This post originally appeared as part of the Impact 2013 series on Greater Good, the Arabella Advisors blog, on December 6, 2012. It is reprinted with permission.