Pathways to Achieve Zero Hunger in the World

By John Heilprin

May 15, 2023

By the end of this decade, our planet will need to feed 8.5 billion people. And by mid-century, that number could jump again to 10 billion, according to the United Nations, whose Sustainable Development Goal Number Two (SDG 2) for 2030 is centered on eliminating hunger and ensuring food security.

GESDA, with its focus on science diplomacy and cross-border science solutions, aims to help initiate safe implementation of innovations in line with the international, the achievement of the ambitious SDG 2: Zero Hunger.

Those improvements must take place in complex, often extremely difficult contexts. Looming conflicts, human-induced climate change and the extreme weather events work often as disruptors for peaceful agriculture.

Challenges ahead of us

At this moment, as many as 828 million people are unsure of where their next meal is coming from, the UN World Food Program says.

The COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, inflation and now the war between Russia and Ukraine have all contributed to lagging progress toward the Zero Hunger Target.

Everyone will have to be fed from 0.5 billion hectares of land, which will require an increase in food production per hectare of nearly 60% in less than 30 years. With approximately 66% of the world’s population living in an urban environment, supply chain management will also need to be revisited to ensure the well-being of humanity.

In parallel, reducing food waste is a must to establish food security and encourage healthy food systems.

In rich countries, this food waste happens in the kitchen — when we prepare foods that go uneaten or leave food to spoil in fridges and kitchen cabinets.
For millions of people in developing emerging countries, this food waste happens at harvest time. Poor storage facilities in farms lead to pest infestations and mould ruining crops.

Is the world’s population ready to take on the “food for future” challenge?

There is reason for optimism. In the 2022 Science Breakthrough Radar, GESDA is probing what is being said around the world through the analysis of some 6 million comments posted on social media. It shows that issues related to the food system are of great interest. This is particularly true for young and well-educated people. They first react positively to advances in decarbonization and initiatives that promote clean energy to combat global warming. They are also positive about strengthening sustainable food production, including ocean management and aquaculture. However the Radar also shows that the discussion is predominantly driven by professional scientists and researchers who are dominating the work profiles. Including early enough all the citizens and considering their expectations and real-life conditions appear as a prerequisite to achieve the Zero Hunger Target.

Can hunger ever be solved from advances in the science labs?

The 2022 GESDA Science Breakthrough Radar 2022 gives some avenues to reach the Zero Hunger target of the UN 2030 Agenda.

Mimicking nature to develop abundant, energy-efficient, heat-resistant crops

To curb temperature increases, drastic CO2 emission reduction plans will need to be adopted in the short term. However, producing effects will request time.

Therefore, it will be necessary within 10 years, to innovate and create heat-resistant crops.

In the longer term, a solution probably will have to be found to allow the populations of regions where cultivation will no longer be possible to import food.

Developments such as the Haber-Bosch nitrogen fixation process, advances in fertilizers, mechanization and innovative breeding techniques already significantly improved agricultural yield, however, often with the disadvantage of energy-intensive production in large, centralized factories.

Now one detects an emerging democratization of manufacturing processes thanks to nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere with a fraction of the energy used and might be applied in local small-scale facilities. Their complex biochemistry, however, remains to be understood. Hopes are pinned on quantum computers that can successfully simulate chemical reactions and enzymatic processes.

Other new technologies like gene editing, also may help transforming by mimicking nature processes many aspects of agriculture, resulting in crops that boost yields, nutritional value, mould- or drought resistance and more. Gene editing and other modification technologies could greatly increase food production. It not only improves crops and plants, but also addresses weeds and pathogens. As effective as they are, these technologies are rightly treated with a great deal of caution and their large-scale application is years from fruition.

Diversifying diets

The oceans themselves have an important role to play in providing abundant, healthy, and non-polluting food. Huge carbon mitigation benefits are associated with dietary changes to reduce land-based animal protein with more ocean-based protein. This will request efforts to develop marine protected areas (MPAs) which ultimately allow for the restoration of fish populations. A recent study noted that a 5% increase in the MPA network could improve future fish catches by 20% or more.

Alternative proteins

Much hope is also being placed on synthetic biology, which allows the manufacture of molecules and materials that do not exist in nature. Work on synthetic molecules is based directly on existing biological organisms. Synthetic biology can be used to engineer single-cell organisms to produce desirable molecules using technologies such as genome editing, DNA synthesis, and directed evolution. End products could include new pharmaceuticals and synthetic alternatives to commodities such as classical palm oil.

These proteins come in many forms, with ingredients from algae, plants (soybeans, peas), fungi, insects (crickets), or cell-cultured meat generally designed to mimic chicken or beef. These proteins are expected to grow rapidly, especially in wealthy countries where meat consumption (animal protein) already tend to decrease.

Personalized food

An individual’s genetic code affects the way their body reacts to and metabolizes specific types of food. By aligning nutritional intakes with one’s genetics, a person can reduce the risk of developing diseases, such as coronary heart disease. Personalized nutrition can thus contribute to better health, longevity, and better performance at work and in sports. The possibility of developing personalized nutrition will depend on the increasing availability and sophistication of global targeted genome-screening and of self-monitoring technologies linked to our smartphones.

Additional readings from the 2022 & 2021 GESDA Science Breakthrough Radar 

What do people say – GESDA Pulse of Society in the Radar

Analysis of more than 6 million social media posts reveal that the scientific fields related to eco-regeneration and geoengineering, elicit strong engagement among citizens.

On food, however, they strongly diverge by education and the discussion is predominantly driven by male authors and younger voices, with professional scientists and researchers dominating the work profiles. Including early enough all the citizens and considering their expectations and real-life conditions appears as a prerequisite to achieve the Zero Hunger target. 2022 Radar, page 264. A previous study in our 2021 Radar already came to the same conclusion as displayed on the following slide.

By the end of this decade, our planet will need to feed 8.5 billion people. And by mid-century, that number could jump again to 10 billion, according to the United Nations, whose Sustainable Development Goal Number Two (SDG 2) for 2030 is centered on eliminating hunger and ensuring food security.

GESDA, with its focus on science diplomacy and cross-border science solutions, aims to help initiate safe implementation of innovations in line with the international, the achievement of the ambitious SDG 2: Zero Hunger.

Those improvements must take place in complex, often extremely difficult contexts. Looming conflicts, human-induced climate change and the extreme weather events work often as disruptors for peaceful agriculture.

Challenges ahead of us

At this moment, as many as 828 million people are unsure of where their next meal is coming from, the UN World Food Program says.

The COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, inflation and now the war between Russia and Ukraine have all contributed to lagging progress toward the Zero Hunger Target.

Everyone will have to be fed from 0.5 billion hectares of land, which will require an increase in food production per hectare of nearly 60% in less than 30 years. With approximately 66% of the world’s population living in an urban environment, supply chain management will also need to be revisited to ensure the well-being of humanity.

In parallel, reducing food waste is a must to establish food security and encourage healthy food systems.

In rich countries, this food waste happens in the kitchen — when we prepare foods that go uneaten or leave food to spoil in fridges and kitchen cabinets.
For millions of people in developing emerging countries, this food waste happens at harvest time. Poor storage facilities in farms lead to pest infestations and mould ruining crops.

Is the world’s population ready to take on the “food for future” challenge?

There is reason for optimism. In the 2022 Science Breakthrough Radar, GESDA is probing what is being said around the world through the analysis of some 6 million comments posted on social media. It shows that issues related to the food system are of great interest. This is particularly true for young and well-educated people. They react positively to advances in decarbonization and initiatives that promote clean energy to combat global warming. They are also positive about strengthening sustainable food production, including ocean management and aquaculture.