- Global food insecurity deepens after over 800m affected as WFP seeks $16.9 billion in aid
The world food crisis is a complex and multifaceted issue that affects millions of people globally. It remains one of the most pressing global challenges, with the year 2025 marking a critical juncture in the ongoing efforts to ensure that all people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. The crisis is affecting over 280 million people daily, and acute food insecurity is projected to worsen in 16 hunger hotspots.
As of 2025, the global food system is facing unprecedented pressures. Climate change, political instability, and economic disparities continue to exacerbate food insecurity1. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), acute hunger affects over 800 million people worldwide, with regions like Gaza, Sudan, and South Sudan experiencing severe food crises. The WFP’s operational requirements for 2025 amount to $16.9 billion, aiming to reach 123 million of the most vulnerable food-insecure people globally.
In 2024 food security is likely to remain one of the critical challenges for the world to face. The World Bank has therefore included food and nutrition security among the eight global challenges to address at scale, and has mobilised $45 billion in resources to tackle issues and protect livelihoods worldwide — surpassing its initial projected commitment of $30 billion announced in May 2022.
Anticipating and understanding the evolution of food security and its reactions to future trends is essential for effective policy-making and developing responsive plans. The World Bank’s World Food Security Outlook (WFSO), updated three times a year and last in October 2023, serves as one of the comprehensive resources developed to support this endeavor. This blog aims to distill the key insights from the WFSO’s latest findings and their implications for food security in 2024 and beyond.
World food security outlook: comprehensive tool for analysis
In October 2023, the World Bank published the updated the World Food Security Outlook (WFSO). Published three times each year, the WFSO is an innovative model-based data series designed to monitor and analyze global food security, providing essential information to complement official statistics and help understand the evolving landscape.
Comprising historical, preliminary, and forecast data, the WFSO offers insights into severe food insecurity worldwide, filling critical gaps in knowledge. Key components of the WFSO cover severe food insecurity prevalence, estimates for countries lacking official data, population sizes of the severely food insecure, and required safety net financing.
The key factors contributing to the food crisis include climate change, population growth, economic instability, political conflicts, and food waste.
Climate change
Reasons:
Climate change is one of the most significant contributors to the world food crisis. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes, disrupt agricultural production and supply chains. Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns affect crop yields and livestock productivity. Additionally, climate change leads to the degradation of arable land, reducing the available agricultural area.
Solutions:
- Adoption of climate-resilient agriculture: Farmers should adopt climate-resilient agricultural practices, such as crop diversification, conservation tillage, and agroforestry. These practices enhance the resilience of agricultural systems to climate change.
- Investing in research and development: Governments and private organisations should invest in research and development to develop climate-resistant crop varieties and innovative farming techniques.
- Water management: Efficient water management practices, such as rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, and the construction of water reservoirs, can help mitigate the impact of droughts and water scarcity.
- Climate-smart policies: Policymakers should implement climate-smart policies that promote sustainable agricultural practices, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support farmers in adapting to climate change.
Population growth
Reasons:
The global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, significantly increasing the demand for food. Rapid population growth, particularly in developing countries, strains the already limited resources and puts pressure on agricultural systems to produce more food.
Solutions:
- Family planning pogramsme: Governments should implement family planning programs to control population growth and ensure that resources are used sustainably.
- Improving agricultural productivity: Increasing agricultural productivity through modern farming techniques, mechanization, and the use of high-yield crop varieties can help meet the growing food demand.
- Urban agriculture: Promoting urban agriculture and vertical farming can increase food production in urban areas and reduce the pressure on rural agricultural systems.
- Food distribution systems: Enhancing food distribution systems to reduce food loss and waste can ensure that the available food reaches those in need.
Economic instability
Reasons:
Economic instability, including recessions, inflation, and unemployment, affects people’s ability to afford food. Economic downturns lead to reduced income, increased food prices, and limited access to nutritious food, exacerbating food insecurity.
Solutions:
- Social safety nets: Governments should implement social safety nets, such as food assistance programs, unemployment benefits, and cash transfers, to support vulnerable populations during economic crises.
- Diversifying income sources: Encouraging diversification of income sources, such as promoting small-scale businesses and vocational training, can enhance people’s economic resilience and improve their purchasing power.
- Price stabilisation mechanisms: Establishing price stabilization mechanisms, such as buffer stocks and price controls, can help maintain food prices at affordable levels during economic volatility.
- Strengthening local economies: Investing in local economies, particularly in rural areas, can create job opportunities and reduce migration to urban centers, ensuring a stable food supply.
Political conflicts
Reasons:
Political conflicts, wars, and civil unrest disrupt food production, distribution, and access. Conflict-affected regions often experience food shortages, displacement of populations, and destruction of agricultural infrastructure, leading to severe food insecurity.
Solutions:
- Conflict resolution: Governments and international organizations should prioritize conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts to create a stable environment for food production and distribution.
- Humanitarian aid: Providing humanitarian aid, including food assistance, medical care, and shelter, to conflict-affected populations can alleviate immediate food insecurity.
- Rebuilding agricultural infrastructure: Post-conflict reconstruction efforts should focus on rebuilding agricultural infrastructure, such as irrigation systems, roads, and storage facilities, to restore food production and distribution.
- Supporting smallholder farmers: Supporting smallholder farmers in conflict-affected regions with access to credit, seeds, tools, and training can help them rebuild their livelihoods and increase food production.
Food waste
Reasons:
Food waste is a significant contributor to the world food crisis, with approximately one-third of all food produced globally being wasted. Food waste occurs at various stages of the food supply chain, including production, processing, distribution, retail, and consumption.
Solutions:
- Reducing food losses at production level: Implementing better storage and handling practices, such as improved packaging and refrigeration, can reduce food losses at the production level.
- Enhancing supply chain efficiency: Streamlining supply chain processes and reducing transportation delays can minimize food spoilage and waste.
- Consumer awareness: Educating consumers about the importance of reducing food waste and promoting responsible consumption practices, such as meal planning and portion control, can significantly reduce food waste at the household level.
- Food recovery and redistribution: Establishing food recovery and redistribution programs that collect surplus food from retailers and restaurants and distribute it to food banks and charitable organizations can ensure that edible food reaches those in need.
Inefficient food distribution systems
Reasons:
Inefficient food distribution systems, characterized by inadequate infrastructure, lack of transportation, and poor market access, hinder the timely delivery of food to consumers, leading to food shortages and increased prices.
Solutions:
- Investment in infrastructure: Governments and private sector actors should invest in building and maintaining infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and storage facilities, to improve food distribution networks.
- Developing transportation networks: Developing efficient and reliable transportation networks, including road, rail, and maritime transport, can facilitate the movement of food from production areas to markets and consumers.
- Market access: Ensuring that smallholder farmers and producers have access to local, national, and international markets can enhance their income and improve food availability.
- Public-private partnerships: Encouraging public-private partnerships can leverage resources and expertise to enhance the efficiency of food distribution systems.
Lack of access to agricultural inputs
Reasons:
Limited access to essential agricultural inputs, such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and machinery, hampers agricultural productivity and food production. Smallholder farmers in developing countries often face challenges in accessing these inputs due to high costs, lack of availability, and limited knowledge.
Solutions:
- Subsidising agricultural inputs: Governments can provide subsidies or financial assistance to smallholder farmers to help them access essential agricultural inputs.
- Extension services: Providing agricultural extension services that offer training and technical support to farmers can enhance their knowledge and skills in using modern farming techniques and inputs.
- Access to credit: Establishing credit facilities and microfinance institutions that provide affordable loans to farmers can enable them to invest in agricultural inputs and improve productivity.
- Seed banks and cooperatives: Establishing seed banks and farmer cooperatives can ensure the availability of high-quality seeds and other inputs at affordable prices.
Land degradation
Reasons:
Land degradation, including soil erosion, deforestation, and desertification, reduces the availability of arable land for agriculture. Unsustainable farming practices, overgrazing, and urbanization contribute to the degradation of agricultural land, impacting food production.
Solutions:
- Sustainable land management: Implementing sustainable land management practices, such as terracing, agroforestry, and conservation agriculture, can prevent soil erosion and enhance soil fertility.
- Reforestation and afforestation: Promoting reforestation and afforestation initiatives can restore degraded land, improve soil quality, and increase the availability of arable land.
- Land tenure security: Ensuring secure land tenure for farmers can incentivize them to invest in sustainable land management practices and improve agricultural productivity.
- Soil health monitoring: Establishing soil health monitoring systems can provide valuable data on soil quality and guide farmers in adopting appropriate soil conservation measures.
Water scarcity
Reasons:
Water scarcity is a significant challenge for agriculture, as it limits the availability of water for irrigation and livestock. Overexploitation of water resources, climate change, and pollution contribute to water scarcity, affecting food production.
Solutions:
- Efficient irrigation techniques: Implementing efficient irrigation techniques, such as drip irrigation and sprinkler systems, can optimize water use and reduce water wastage.
- Water conservation practices: Promoting water conservation practices, such as rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and the use of drought-resistant crop varieties, can mitigate the impact of water scarcity.
- Integrated water resource management: Adopting integrated water resource management (IWRM) approaches that consider the needs of all water users, including agriculture, industry, and households, can ensure sustainable water use.
- Improving water infrastructure: Investing in water infrastructure, such as dams, reservoirs, and irrigation canals, can enhance water storage and distribution for agricultural use.
Trade policies and barriers
Reasons:
Trade policies and barriers, such as tariffs, export restrictions, and import quotas, can disrupt the global food supply chain and impact food availability and prices. Protectionist policies and trade wars exacerbate food insecurity by limiting access to essential food products.
Solutions:
- Promoting free trade: Encouraging free trade and reducing trade barriers can facilitate the movement of food across borders and ensure a stable food supply.
- Harmonizing trade regulations: Harmonizing trade regulations and standards can simplify trade processes and reduce delays in food shipments.
- Regional trade agreements: Establishing regional trade agreements can enhance cooperation among neighboring countries and promote food security in the region.
- Diversifying food sources: Diversifying food sources and reducing dependence on imports can enhance food security and resilience to trade.
The author, Nazir Ahmed Shaikh, is a freelance writer, columnist, blogger, and motivational speaker. He writes articles on diversified topics. He can be reached at nazir_shaikh86@hotmail.com