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The State of Food Insecurity in the World

Economic crises - impacts and lessons learned

2009 has been a devastating year for the world’s hungry, marking a significant worsening of an already disappointing trend in global food security since 1996. The global economic slowdown, following on the heels of the food crisis in 2006–08, has deprived an additional 100 million people of access to adequate food. There have been marked increases in hunger in all of the world’s major regions, and more than one billion people are now estimated to be undernourished.

About the series

The State of Food Insecurity in the World raises awareness about global hunger issues, discusses underlying causes of hunger and malnutrition and monitors progress towards hunger reduction targets established at the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Summit. The publication is targeted at a wide audience, including policy-makers, international organizations, academic institutions and the general public with a general interest in linkages between food security, human and economic development.

For more information, contact: David.Dawe@fao.org from FAO's Economic and Social Development Department

Key messages

Even before the food and economic crises, hunger was on the rise.
FAO estimates that 1.02 billion people are undernourished worldwide in 2009.
In trying to cope with the burden of consecutive food and economic crises, poor people reduce their dietary diversity and spending on essential items such as education and health care.
A healthy agriculture sector can provide an economic and employment buffer in times of crisis, especially in poorer countries.
Safety-net interventions should address the immediate impact on the vulnerable while also providing sustainable solutions to the underlying problems.
The fact that hunger was increasing even before the food and economic crises suggests that present solutions are insufficient and that a right-to-food approach has an important role to play in eradicating food insecurity.