SA is not immune from global hunger epidemic
Despite enough food being produced, this does not translate into food for all, with millions of South Africans facing malnutrition and hunger
The 2018 UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” report reveals a sad and urgent reality: World hunger is on the rise again. The report shows a third consecutive year of increase, with the number of undernourished people worldwide increasing to nearly 821-million in 2017. Additionally, an estimated 1.9-billion people are overweight, with this section of the global population facing the accompanying risks of illness, disease and death based on their diet and health status. These alarming figures come at a time when the world actually has the capacity to produce 17% more food per person today than it did 30 years ago. The situation in SA is no better, as poverty is seemingly on the rise. Statistics SA’s “General Household Survey, 2016” shows 7.4-million people reported experiencing hunger. One wonders how this is possible, as SA is among the top ten most food-secure countries in Africa. This is determined mostly by analysing the p...
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