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$10 billion needed to prevent Covid-19 hunger crisis, researchers say

The pandemic threatens to undo decades of progress in terms of tackling hunger - Fabeha Monir/Oxfam
The pandemic threatens to undo decades of progress in terms of tackling hunger - Fabeha Monir/Oxfam

An additional $10 billion is needed “urgently” to prevent millions more people becoming food insecure as a result of Covid-19, according to a new report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Cornell University.

Half of this sum must come from donor governments as aid, the report said, with the rest provided by the developing countries themselves.

The analysis uses data from the UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, which forecasts that the pandemic could tip over 130 million more people into chronic hunger by the end of 2020 unless action is taken.

Modelling conducted by Ceres2030 found that the additional $10 billion must be spent this year to address the hunger and nutrition impacts of the virus on the most vulnerable populations, as the pandemic causes unprecedented disruptions to incomes, economic growth and supply chains.

Without urgent action, the modelling predicts that the number of people in extreme poverty and hunger will increase by 95 million this year, which the report said would reverse decades of progress.

Hunger hotspots Oxfam
Hunger hotspots Oxfam

Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are the regions the report identifies as most vulnerable, with a predicted 15 per cent increase in poverty in urban areas compared to an 11 per cent increase in rural areas.

“The warning signs are coming left, right and centre. Without action now, decades of progress will be undone and the chance of meeting the UN target to end hunger by 2030 could be pushed out of reach,” said Carin Smaller, Director of Agriculture, Trade and Investment at IISD and co-Director of the Ceres2030 project.

“Governments must urgently increase spending on social protection programmes to get people the money and food they need to survive the crisis, alongside long-term investments to build more sustainable and resilient food systems.”

David Laborde, Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI and co-Director of the Ceres2030 project, said: “Even before Covid-19, global efforts to end hunger were falling far short of what was needed. The number of hungry people had been rising for five years in a row. The pandemic has exacerbated an already-dire situation: governments need to act quickly to prevent disaster, and put the building blocks in place for a more secure future.”