A potent combination of hunger, climate change and man-made conflicts are creating a “perfect storm”, the head of the UN’s food arm warned recently in a call to action on World Food Day.
“You’ve got a nightmare, the perfect storm heading your way,” David Beasley, World Food Program (WFP) chief, said in a speech in Rome, where the United Nations’ food agencies are headquartered.
The UN aims to achieve a Zero Hunger world by 2030, but faces three obstacles: conflicts, climate change and an economic slowdown.
Beasley said the battle was an urgent one. “Children are dying at a rate of every five to ten seconds” from hunger or malnutrition, he said.
Food is being wasted both during the production process and in people’s kitchens.
“The answer is not in Rome alone, it’s in your homes. What are you going to do about it?” he asked.
