The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012

The 2012 edition of The State of Food Insecurity in the World focuses on the importance of economic growth in overcoming poverty, hunger and malnutrition. We are pleased to note that many, though not all, developing countries have enjoyed remarkable rates of growth during recent decades. High growth rates of GDP per capita are a key factor in reducing food insecurity and malnutrition. However, economic growth per se does not guarantee success. As Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen stated recently, it "r equires active public policies to ensure that the fruits of economic growth are widely shared, and also requires - and this is very important - making good use of the public revenue generated by fast economic growth for social services, especially for public healthcare and public education."� This report provides convincing evidence that poor, hungry and malnourished people use some of their additional income either to produce or purchase more food, aiming to increase their dietary ener gy intake and to diversify their diets. Against this background, we are glad to note significant improvements in food security and nutrition outcomes worldwide. The trend in the prevalence of undernourishment has been declining, and we have seen some progress in key anthropometric indicators of child underweight, stunting and nutrition-related child mortality. There has also been progress in overcoming some types of micronutrient deficiencies or 'hidden hunger'� in a number of countries. These e ncouraging developments are made possible by the combined effects of increased attention to world hunger, overall economic and agricultural growth, and targeted policy interventions.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: FAO, Rome (Italy). Economic and Social Dept. eng 1423211775462, World Food Programme, Rome (Italy) eng 186574, IFAD, Rome (Italy) eng 168373
Format: Texto biblioteca
Language:
Published: Rome (Italy) FAO 2012
Subjects:FOOD SECURITY, ECONOMIC SYSTEMS, PRICES, COMMODITY MARKETS, IMPACT ASSESSMENT, FOOD SUPPLY, STATISTICAL DATA, DISPONIBILITE ALIMENTAIRE, DONNEE STATISTIQUE, SECURITE ALIMENTAIRE, SYSTEME ECONOMIQUE, PRIX, MARCHE DES PRODUITS DE BASE, EVALUATION DE L'IMPACT, SUMINISTRO DE ALIMENTOS, DATOS ESTADISTICOS, SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA, SISTEMAS ECONOMICOS, PRECIOS, MERCADOS DE PRODUCTOS BASICOS, EVALUACION DEL IMPACTO,
Online Access:http://www.fao.org/3/i3027e/i3027e.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The 2012 edition of The State of Food Insecurity in the World focuses on the importance of economic growth in overcoming poverty, hunger and malnutrition. We are pleased to note that many, though not all, developing countries have enjoyed remarkable rates of growth during recent decades. High growth rates of GDP per capita are a key factor in reducing food insecurity and malnutrition. However, economic growth per se does not guarantee success. As Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen stated recently, it "r equires active public policies to ensure that the fruits of economic growth are widely shared, and also requires - and this is very important - making good use of the public revenue generated by fast economic growth for social services, especially for public healthcare and public education."� This report provides convincing evidence that poor, hungry and malnourished people use some of their additional income either to produce or purchase more food, aiming to increase their dietary ener gy intake and to diversify their diets. Against this background, we are glad to note significant improvements in food security and nutrition outcomes worldwide. The trend in the prevalence of undernourishment has been declining, and we have seen some progress in key anthropometric indicators of child underweight, stunting and nutrition-related child mortality. There has also been progress in overcoming some types of micronutrient deficiencies or 'hidden hunger'� in a number of countries. These e ncouraging developments are made possible by the combined effects of increased attention to world hunger, overall economic and agricultural growth, and targeted policy interventions.