Americas
Europe
Eating is fundamental for the function of the human body. At present, it is estimated that 8.9% of the global population (690 million people) is experiencing hunger.¹ So how can we stop so many people from facing hunger in the world? Sadly, it isn't as simple as just producing more food. Global inequalities and unequal food distribution are huge contributors to hunger worldwide. With the climate crisis and the ever-growing population, the question of how we can feed everybody is becoming an increasingly urgent matter.
Explore our app and discover over 50 million learning materials for free.
Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persönlichen Lernstatistiken
Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenEating is fundamental for the function of the human body. At present, it is estimated that 8.9% of the global population (690 million people) is experiencing hunger.¹ So how can we stop so many people from facing hunger in the world? Sadly, it isn't as simple as just producing more food. Global inequalities and unequal food distribution are huge contributors to hunger worldwide. With the climate crisis and the ever-growing population, the question of how we can feed everybody is becoming an increasingly urgent matter.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals created by the UN can help solve issues like this. Sustainable Development Goal 2 provides a pathway to zero hunger and food security. But what exactly does this mean? Has there been any progress of this SDG? Let's find out.
Sustainable Development refers to the way that development must occur in a way that supports current generations, but at the same time, one which does not sacrifice future generations or the planet. The UN proposed 17 Sustainable Development Goals to keep the peace between countries and to help with prosperity for people and the planet. Extending from the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), the 17 SDGs involve all countries across the world, whether they be rich or poor, working together to protect people and the planet.
Out of the 17 goals, Sustainable Development Goal 2 is to achieve "zero hunger''. The mission statement of Sustainable Development Goal 2 aims to:
'End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.'²
It focuses on enhancing food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture. This is becoming even more important today; roughly 1 out of every 10th person globally goes hungry.3
Fig. 1 - Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero HungerThe 17 Sustainable Development Goals created by the UN are4:
What does the term 'zero hunger' mean in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 2?
Zero hunger simply means to end world hunger. It requires people to have access to enough nutritious food (to have food security), minimising malnourishment globally and making the production of food more effective.
Malnourishment occurs when a person does not receive enough of the correct nutrients for a healthy diet. Although it often refers to deficiency, it can also be caused by excess.
However, ending world hunger is a huge task, involving various actors within the production, market, and distribution of food. Below is a map showing the Global Hunger Index across the world in 2020. The Global Hunger Index shows hunger levels around the world. The index looks at particular factors related to hunger, such as undernourishment levels, stunting and wasting in children, and child mortality rates.
Wasting is when the body starts to deteriorate and loses strength, in this case, as a result of a lack of food.
Fig. 2 - A map of the Global Hunger Index in 2020
For Sustainable Development Goal 2, 8 targets with 14 indicators have been created to achieve progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2. Let's take a look.
| Target name | Target | Indicators |
| 1: Universal access to safe and nutritious food. | Target 1 aims to end hunger by 2030 by providing everybody access to sufficient and nutritious food all year round. | This is measured through the prevalence of undernourishment and Food Insecurity based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. |
| 2: End all forms of malnutrition. | Target 2 focuses on ending malnutrition of children under 5 years old and meeting the nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and older people by 2030. | There are two indicators; the prevalence of stunting among children under 5 and malnutrition5. |
| 3: Double the productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers. | Target 3 is to double the agricultural productivity and income of small-scale food producers with equal access to land and opportunities by 20305. | There are two indicators; one is according to the classes of farming, forestry, pastoral enterprise size, and the volume of production. Another is the average income of small-scale food producers. |
| 4: Sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices. | Target 4 is to have sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices put into place, to ensure growth in productivity and production in a sustainable manner by 2030. | The indicator is the proportion of agricultural area that is productive and sustainable agriculture. |
| 5: Maintain genetic diversity in food production. | Target 5 is to maintain the genetic diversity of cultivated plants, seeds, and farmed and domestic animals by 2030. | One of the indicators is the number of conservation facilities for plant and animal genetic resources of food. Another is the proportion of local breeds at risk of extinction. |
| a: Invest in rural infrastructure, agricultural research, technology, and gene banks.5 | Target a focuses on increasing investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research, technology, and gene banks.5 | The two indicators are the Agriculture Orientation Index for government expenditure, and total official Flows to the agricultural sector. |
| b: Prevent agricultural trade restrictions, market distortions, and export subsidies.5 | Target b is to reassess and correct the trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets for the accessibility of food. | There are two indicators; one is the Producer Support Estimate. It is an indicator that shows the annual gross transfers of taxpayers and consumers to agricultural producers. Another is Agricultural Export Subsidies. |
| c. Ensure stable food commodity markets and timely access to information.5 | Target c is to have measures that stop food price volatility by ensuring the functioning of food commodity markets and that market information is provided in a timely manner. | The indicator for target c is food price anomalies. |
Achieving food security is part of the mission statement for reaching zero hunger. Food security is having access to safe and nutritious food. Although this sounds simple, when faced with famine, conflict, and poverty, this can be hard to maintain. Enough food is produced for everyone on the planet, yet 828 million people still experience hunger.
Fig. 3 - A map to show moderate to severe Food Insecurity in 2017
Access to food can be affected by political, social, and natural factors. Natural resources such as freshwater, forests, and seas are necessary to survive. They are being depleted through rapid consumption by the growing population, with pollution and climate change causing further degradation of such resources.
Addressing hunger can also open up geopolitical issues. War and conflict can lead to hunger as the country's economy and infrastructure are disrupted due to unrest. This can affect food accessibility, interfere with food production systems, and increase the price of food.
Inequality and poverty are the main causes of hunger as it dictates whether people can afford to buy food. Hunger and poverty go hand in hand as, without food, a person does not have any energy or fight off diseases from malnutrition, leaving them unable to work. This means food is then unaffordable, leading them into a cyclical position of poverty.
Take a look at our explanation on Food Insecurity for more on this.
Since 2014, there has been a rise in people experiencing hunger and food insecurity. Particularly during the years 2019-2021, with problems like the global pandemic of COVID-19 and the locust infestation in East Africa, the progress of Sustainable Development Goal 2 has been affected. The COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on global agricultural production, disrupting global value and the supply chain. More children are also now experiencing malnutrition; wasting in children under 5 years old has risen by 15% due to the pandemic affecting household wealth and accessibility to nutritious food. The war in Ukraine has also affected the global supply chain as Ukraine and Russia supply 30% of global exports of wheat, 20% of global exports of maize, and 20% of global exports of sunflower seed products. Food prices are predicted to rise massively as a result, which could have a knock-on effect on undernourishment levels globally.
Fig. 4 - Kolkata Police North traffic guard distributing food during the Covid-19 crisis in Kolkata, India
Five of the targets for Sustainable Development Goal 2 aim to be achieved by 2030. However, it is said the Sustainable Development Goal 2 targets are not on track to be met by this time. For Sustainable Development Goal 2 to be met, there needs to be ownership of the Sustainable Development Goal 2 targets on a national level, with political leaders held accountable for improving the narrative on nutrition and working on hunger, whilst acknowledging the connection with gender inequality, poverty, and geographic inequality.
The 17 sustainable development goals are:
Sustainable development goal number 2 is 'zero hunger'.
To achieve sustainable development goal 2, the targets focus on enhancing food security, sustainable agriculture and nutrition.
The meaning of Zero Hunger is to end world hunger, improve food security and nutrition, and encourage sustainability within agriculture.
The challenges of SGD 2 are that there isn't any ownership of the Sustainable Development Goal 2 targets on a national level, so there need to be political leaders held accountable. Sustainable Development 2 has also been somewhat held back by things like the war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the locust infestation in East Africa, for example.
YOUR SCORE
Your score:
Already have an account? Log in
SIGNUP SIGNUPFlashcards in Sustainable Development Goal 210
Start learningSustainable Development Goal 2 is to achieve _____ _____.
Zero hunger.
Which of the below is not a focus for Sustainable Development Goal 2?
Food security.
What does zero hunger mean?
Zero hunger simply means to end world hunger.
Which of the below are outcome targets for Sustainable Development Goal 2?
Improving access to food and stopping hunger.
True or false: Target 2 focuses on ending malnutrition for vulnerable people such as pregnant women and older people by 2030.
True.
How does target 5 maintain the genetic diversity of cultivated plants by 2030?
Seed and plant banks.
Already have an account? Log in
60%
of the users don't pass the Sustainable Development Goal 2 quiz! Will you pass the quiz?
Start QuizHow would you like to learn this content?
How would you like to learn this content?
Free human-geography cheat sheet!
Everything you need to know on . A perfect summary so you can easily remember everything.
The first learning app that truly has everything you need to ace your exams in one place
Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.
Save explanations to your personalised space and access them anytime, anywhere!
Sign up with Email Sign up with AppleBy signing up, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy of StudySmarter.
Already have an account? Log in
Explanations 
Exams 
Magazine 
