The United Nations has predicted, in its annual report on food security and nutrition, that Africa will overtake Asia as the continent with the highest number of people experiencing hunger by 2030. In 2023 in Asia, 384.5 million people were facing hunger, compared with 298.4 million in Africa. But if current trends continue, 53% of the almost 600 million chronically undernourished people by 2030 will be living in Africa, according to the UN report. Alvaro Lario, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), described the situation as “alarming” and warned that it would worsen unless a swift action is taken. Africa lags behind Asia in the focus on local production, diversification of crops, the use of fertilizers and more public investment, he added.
