Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2026

Syllabus: GS2/Issues Relating to Hunger

Context

• According to the Global Report on Food Crises 2026 (GRFC 2026) report, more than 266 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity across 47 countries.

Key Findings of the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2026

• High Acute Hunger: Around 266 million people (22.9% of the assessed population) experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025.
  • It has remained above 20% since 2020, and nearly doubled compared to 2016.
• Regional Distribution of Hunger Crisis: Ten countries accounted for nearly two-thirds of the global burden.
  • They are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
  • Among these, Afghanistan, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen witnessed the gravest crises.
• Catastrophic Hunger: About 1.4 million people in six countries were classified under the ‘Catastrophe’ (IPC Phase 5) category, the highest level of acute food insecurity.
  • It represents a nine-fold increase since 2016.
  • Famines were declared in Gaza and parts of Sudan, marking the first time in GRFC history that famine was identified in more than one country in the same year.
• Child Malnutrition: Nearly 35.5 million children suffer from acute malnutrition.
  • Around 10 million children faced severe acute malnutrition.
• Conflict as the Primary Driver: Conflict and insecurity affected 147.4 million people across 19 countries, overtaking extreme weather as the leading driver of hunger.
  • Prolonged conflicts have disrupted agriculture, markets, livelihoods and humanitarian access.
• Declining Financing: Funding for food crisis responses has fallen to levels last seen during 2016-17.
  • Reduced surveys by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have weakened global monitoring systems, resulting in underestimation of the actual crisis.

Hunger Crisis and India

• India was not among the countries covered under the GRFC’s acute food crisis assessments.
• At the Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2026, India attained its highest-ever position in the UN SDG Index, ranking 94th among 167 countries, up from 99th position in 2025, with an overall score of 68.3/100.
• It reflects progress in poverty reduction; sanitation and healthcare; digital governance and social protection delivery.
  • However, progress towards SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) remains uneven.

Major Concerns

• Persistent child undernutrition despite improvements in food availability;
• Significant inter-State and regional disparities in nutritional outcomes;
• High prevalence of anaemia among women and children;
• Climate variability, agrarian distress and livelihood vulnerabilities.

India and the Problem of Hunger

• According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21):
  • 35.5% of children under five years are stunted.
  • 19.3% are wasted.
  • 32.1% are underweight.
  • More than 57% of women aged 15-49 years are anaemic.
  • Around 67% of children (6-59 months) suffer from anaemia.

Related Efforts and Initiatives

• Global Initiatives:
  • UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger)
  • Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty
  • World Food Programme (WFP) interventions
  • FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative

Initiatives & Efforts In India

• National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013: It provides subsidised food grains to nearly two-thirds of India’s population.
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY): It ensures free food grains to NFSA beneficiaries.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan and Mission POSHAN 2.0: It aims to improve nutritional outcomes among women, children and adolescent girls through convergence and technology-enabled monitoring.
• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS): It provides supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-ups and pre-school education.
• PM-POSHAN Scheme: It provides cooked mid-day meals to school children to improve nutrition and educational outcomes.
• Anaemia Mukt Bharat: It targets reduction of anaemia among women, adolescents and children.
• Eat Right India Initiative: It promotes safe, healthy and sustainable dietary practices.

Way Forward: Tackling the Hunger Crisis in India

• Shift from food security to nutrition security by promoting diversified diets including pulses, millets, fruits and vegetables.
• Strengthen climate-resilient agriculture through drought-resistant crops, irrigation expansion and sustainable farming practices.
• Enhance maternal and child healthcare, particularly during the first 1,000 days of life.
• Improve convergence among health, agriculture, sanitation and social protection programmes.
• Strengthen data systems and real-time nutrition monitoring for targeted interventions.
• Increase investment in social protection and nutrition programmes, especially for vulnerable groups.
• Promote community participation and behavioural change regarding dietary practices, sanitation and childcare.

Source: DTE