The United Nations says the number of people going hungry has increased for the third year running.
A report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the UN Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization, said reaching the target of zero hunger by 2030 is “an immense challenge”.
More than 820 million people worldwide are not getting enough food, with the situation most alarming in Africa, the report says.
Africa “has the highest rates of hunger in the world” and the rates are rising in some of the continent’s sub-regions.
The report says that in East Africa more than three in 10 of the population are undernourished.
Across the continent, “in addition to climate and conflict, economic slowdowns and downturns are driving the rise.
“Since 2011, almost half the countries where rising hunger occurred due to economic slowdowns or stagnation were in Africa,” it added.
While hunger remains widespread, obesity continues to rise in all regions. Africa and Asia are home to nearly three-quarters of all overweight children worldwide, according to the report that says it is largely driven by consumption of unhealthy diets.
