This report reflects on trends in hunger and malnutrition in South Asia, highlighting the growing issue of obesity coexisting with rising levels of hunger and malnutrition. It proposes new policy actions targeting the entire food value chain in order to address the challenges which have destabilised South Asian food systems over the past five years.
Summary
This report from the Tata–Cornell Institute at Cornell University focuses on food systems and nutrition in South Asia. The progress made in reducing the prevalence of hunger in the fourteen years leading to 2019 has been overturned in the last five. The proportion of undernourished people rose from 12% in 2018 to 17% in 2021 as a result of crises that include the COVID-19 pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine and malfunctioning agricultural policies in Sri Lanka, as well as the continuous threat of climate change. Despite global efforts, including the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, the hope that Sustainable Development Goal 2 (zero hunger) will be achieved by 2030 dwindles.
Hunger and malnutrition persist alongside the issue of increased obesity in many South Asian countries. Obesity doubled between 1990 and 2016, though it still remains below the global average. However, in Bhutan, vulnerable groups, especially children under 5, now exceed the global average of obesity, and rates are increasing in other countries as well. At the same time, South Asia continues to occupy either the first or second position in global rankings of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency. Through several case studies, the report highlights how the progress made in food security over the last 10 years has stagnated or even been partially reversed.
The authors conclude by pointing out that traditional approaches focused on hunger elimination need to evolve and take on newer challenges such as obesity and increasing micronutrient deficiency. Future actions need to consider the impact on hunger of global trends in, for example, urbanisation, international trade agreements, and climate change. Policy instruments need a deeper understanding of the forces behind malnutrition to be effective. The report makes recommendations for different policies for each part of the food value chain, from seed to finished product. Whilst each country in South Asia differs, the challenges and solutions remain similar, a point which suggests the need for a broader transnational exchange of knowledge on policy, best practices, and success stories.
Reference:
TCI (Tata–Cornell Institute)., 2023. Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in South Asia. TCI. https://tci.cornell.edu/?publications=food-agriculture-and-nutrition-in-south-asia-building-healthy-sustainable-food-systems
Read the full report here, and see more from us in our video What is Food Security? and our explainer What is Malnutrition?
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