The Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Europe and frequent natural disasters has made the food security system more vulnerable globally.
As a result, the undernourished population has increased to 768 million by 2021, marking a 34.2 per cent up from 2014 when it was estimated at 572 million.
This information was revealed at the Global Food Policy Report (GFPR) 2023 South Asia Launching: Rethink Food Crisis Response, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Monday.
The report mentioned South Asia as the most vulnerable region to such changes, underscoring the need for effective and timely responses to the crisis.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) organised the GFPR 2023 South Asia Launch, followed by a two-day panel discussion titled "Building Resilient Food Crisis Response in South Asia".
According to the report synopsis, food systems' vulnerability and food security were facing threats well before the Covid pandemic.
It said that global development progress began stagnating a decade ago and even reversing in some places, representing a significant change following several decades of dramatic declines in hunger and poverty.
In 2014, 572 million people were undernourished, which was a record low, said the report.
But, by 2021, this number had grown to 768 million, largely due to conflict, the pandemic, weather-related disasters and economic downturns in many countries, it added.
During the launching session of the two-day programme, Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Sreshtha said climate change has emerged as the most critical challenge for Nepal and the entire South Asia region.
Mr Sreshtha said that after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake, the government has switched to proactive management. The country has enacted disaster management plans and policies that are currently being implemented. He called for collaborative efforts among all South Asian countries to overcome the consequences of climate change.
Nepal's Education, Science and Technology Minister Pramila Devi Bajracharya said that her country is working to adopt modern technology and science in response to climate change.
She said that they are striving to minimise institutional gaps, weaknesses in information linkage, capacity gaps and policy implementation.
Dr Johan Swinnen, managing director of Systems Transformation at CGIAR and director general of IFPRI, highlighted the consequences that have led to the development of a resilient food crisis response in South Asia.
He also focused on gender equality in fragile and conflict-affected regions, and introducing early warning systems for proactive food crisis risk monitoring. Dr Swinnen also underlined the importance of a resilient agri-food value chain to address forced migration, humanitarian and anticipatory response for crisis management and adaptive safety nets for crisis recovery.
Dr Shahidur Rashid, director of the South Asia Region at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said that South Asia is the most vulnerable region, with 800 million people residing in climate change hotspots.
He pointed out that the region recently experienced its highest temperature in 122 years and warned that flood-related disasters alone could cause an annual loss of US$215 billion in the region.
Considering such vulnerability and losses, Dr Rashid emphasised comprehensive and holistic responses to combat the crisis.
Dr Biswash Gauchan, executive director of the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), said Nepal's GDP has suffered an 8.0 percentage point decline due to the Covid pandemic. The country is currently experiencing stagflation.
Dr Gauchan commented that India's ban on wheat exports has severe consequences for the food security of Nepal, as the country heavily depends on India for grain supply.
Tenzin Lekphell, secretary general of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), said that the primary challenge is to manage food in a way that ensures no one goes hungry in the world.
Jamal Uddin Ahmed, director of SAARC (agriculture, rural development, food security and SAARC development fund), urged policymakers and stakeholders to take proactive measures immediately to prevent a doomsday scenario.
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