End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
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Globally, one in nine people in the world today (795 million) are undernourished
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The vast majority of the world’s hungry people live in developing countries, where 12.9 per cent of the population is undernourished.
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Asia is the continent with the most hungry people – two thirds of the total. The percentage in southern Asia has fallen in recent years but in western Asia it has increased slightly.
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Southern Asia faces the greatest hunger burden, with about 281 million undernourished people. In sub-Saharan Africa, projections for the 2014-2016 period indicate a rate of undernourishment of almost 23 per cent.
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Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45 per cent) of deaths in children under five – 3.1 million children each year.
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One in four of the world’s children suffer stunted growth. In developing countries the proportion can rise to one in three.
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66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone.
When you’re hungry it’s hard to think about much else. You can’t concentrate at school or at work, especially if you don’t know where your next meal will come from. It is time to rethink how we grow, share and consume our food. If done right, agriculture, forestry and fisheries can provide nutritious food for all and generate decent incomes, while supporting people-centred rural development and protecting the environment. Right now, our soils, freshwater, oceans, forests and biodiversity are being rapidly degraded. Climate change is putting even more pressure on the resources we depend on, increasing risks associated with disasters such as droughts and floods. Many rural women and men can no longer make ends meet on their land, forcing them to migrate to cities in search of opportunities. The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for development, and is central for hunger and poverty eradication.