Group9_D | SDG 2 : Zero Hunger

Group 9_D

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

We live in a deeply unequal world. Lakhs of people die from hunger each year. Last year itself, over 800 million people were food insecure, out of which close to 150 million suffered crisis level hunger or worse. These catastrophic levels of hunger are an outcome of a broken food system, which has limited the access to food for millions out there.

The pandemic has added fuel to the fire. These inequalities and vulnerabilities have gotten exacerbated. Lakhs of people have been pushed into food insecurity as a result of rising unemployment levels and the economic disruption created by the pandemic. This year, hunger killed many, even before the virus could. The pandemic has shaken a food system which was already broken.

The UN has warned of famines of biblical proportions, as a direct outcome of the Covid-19 pandemic and it is projected that the number of people in crisis level hunger will rise to over 250 million before the end of the year, over a 75% increase since 2019. More people will die of coronavirus driven hunger than from the virus itself. Many organizations have ratcheted up their efforts in providing food and water to the world’s most vulnerable. But we need to do more.

The SDG aims to eradicate all forms of malnutrition and hunger by 2030. This includes supporting small scale farmers and equal access to land, markets, technology, and promotion of sustainable agriculture. It also needs international cooperation so that investment in infrastructure and technology is ensured which would improve agricultural productivity.

Relevance in India

India is close to becoming the most populous nation on the planet. ‘The state of food security and nutrition in the world report’ of 2020 stated that 18.9 Cr people are malnourished in India. The data shows that the number has dropped to half in the last 20 years, but the dream of zero hunger is still far-fetched. The target of Indian Government and United Nations to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030 is supported by huge corporates and MNCs. The initiatives taken up by the companies to achieve the goal are a big differentiating factor.

Another report showed that India wasted approximately 7% of the food production every year and the 30% of the vegetables are not stored appropriately because of poor cold storage and warehouse facilities. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger, it is essential to develop the functionalities of Cold storage and Warehouses. Government’s role is paramount, and at the same time it is the responsibility of corporates to contribute to the cause. In India, 60 of the top 100 companies have the SDGs in their plan of actions.

Business Implications and Responses

Businesses have a pivotal role in ensuring that their activities do not negatively affect the progress made by SDGs and, at the same time, contribute effectively to achieving them. For this, businesses would have to integrate SDGs into their core operations instead of cherry-picking SDGs based on win-win opportunities. Businesses need to realign their commercial practices with the SDGs for the greater good. Huge corporations have always had the resources to make a massive impact in improving the quality of millions of people on the planet. However, it was only in the last decade that big businesses started acknowledging the importance of sustainable development and took some bold steps in the right direction.

The government of India on 1st April 2014 legally mandated Corporate Social Responsibility, making India the first country to do so. Though there is no rule regarding how the companies have to spend their CSR funds, multiple companies have taken up the task of feeding empty stomachs across India. This is usually done by donating money to NGOs working in that field. Akshaya Patra, a leading NGO dedicated to providing quality food to children, counts multiple Indian businesses such as SBI, IndusInd Bank, JSW, MTR, and others as its corporate partners. Though outsourcing their responsibilities to NGOs is still a welcome move, Indian companies should start engaging their think-tanks to figure out how they can play a substantial role in achieving SDG #2.

Here are a few non-Indian Multinational companies that have taken huge strides towards achieving SDG#2 of Zero world hunger by:

Walmart

In 2014, Walmart & Walmart foundations set up the target of donating 4 billion meals to the needy by 2020. In 2019, Walmart stores, clubs, and distribution centers donated over 640 million pounds of food, close to 55% of which were fruits, vegetables, and meat in the United States, while 80 million pounds of food was donated in other countries.

Dupont

In 2012 Dupont dedicated $10 billion for research and development of 4000 products aimed at producing more food, enhancing nutritional value, raising food safety, and elongating food freshness. By 2013, the chemical giant had invested $ 2.49 billion and had introduced over 1700 products.

Some of the subtle ways in which businesses can help in achieving SDG #2 of Zero hunger:

● Food retail businesses can distribute unsold edible food items to hungry people living in its vicinity.

● Businesses can invest extensively in R&D and come up with products that solve challenges pertaining to world hunger.

● Companies must urge and motivate employees to avoid wasting food on the office premises as well as outside.

● Banking and investment firms can ensure that startups and small & medium businesses working on projects relating to the elimination of world hunger are not bereft of sufficient funds. Morgan Stanley’s ‘Investing with Impact’ framework is an excellent example of such initiatives.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT OF COMPANIES:

Accenture: In the last five years, Accenture skill-building initiatives of engaging with social organisations have helped almost 800,000 people around the world obtain a job or build a business. This represents approximately half of the 1.61 million people who were equipped with skills. Company’s programs have helped more than 1.05 million people get a job or build a business.

ICICI: Skill training can provide the impetus for the growth of our nation. It is with this belief, ICICI Foundation has taken the initiative to run skill development training programs at different levels across the country which are exclusively meant for the underprivileged section of our country. The rural initiative was designed keeping in mind the need to improve the rural economy.

TATA Steel: Tata Steel focuses on improving the quality of life of the communities they serve globally. The company always tried to conduct the business responsibility, by using lease materials to produce more. Recently, the company collaborated with East Singhbhum administration and Annamitra foundation to fight against hunger.

Axis Bank: One of India’s leading banks, creating sustainable livelihoods is an overarching theme that Axis Bank has been pursuing by contributing towards poverty alleviation and integrated development, especially in some of the poorest districts and villages of the country. It also endeavors in providing skills and livelihood assets to women in these areas in order to promote women empowerment and improve their socio- economic status.

WHY HUNGER EXISTS?

Extreme Poverty: Many people are not able to afford to buy food for their survival because they are living in extreme poverty with an income level of just $1.9/day or less. Unemployment is the reason that puts people in a predicament of poverty and poor people enter into a vicious cycle which becomes difficult to break.

Lack of Necessary Infrastructure: Farmers expect supporting infrastructure (like access to electricity, water etc.) from the government to grow crops and for survival. Government needs infrastructure to ensure that the food distribution system remains stable. India has close to 6,30,000 villages, where in many villages, women have to spend a lot of time fetching water from wells which deprives them of productive work.

Lack of Nutritional Quality: Everyone needs a certain amount of nutrients to stay healthy but unfortunately, this is a hidden hunger which makes people fall sick and even lead to death. Despite the government's efforts to support pregnant women and Infants, the primary cause of high maternity and infant mortality rate is lack of nutritional Diet. India accounts for 17 percent of maternal deaths across the world. The Maternal mortality rate is around 167 per lakhs and Infant mortality estimated at 43 per 1000 live births.

Corruption and Discrimination: Regardless of wealth claims made by developed and developing nations, it is not right to gauge prosperity of a country on the basis of its GDP. Root cause of the problem is that people don’t get the share of wealth that they are supposed to receive. Corruption is not in the system but in the minds of people. Discrimination on the basis of race, religion, materialistic things makes situation worse.

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

The production of food grains in India has seen a five-fold increase from 50 million tonnes in the mid 20th century to about 250 million tonnes in 2015. India produces more than enough to feed its population of 1.35 billion people, the country is still the home to around one-fourth of the world’s hungry population. A comprehensive and holistic approach is needed to ensure the availability and accessibility of food to eradicate hunger and undernourishment in India.The government has taken several initiatives towards agricultural productivity and the hunger rate. Some of the initiatives taken by the GOI are

● POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to reduce under-nutrition and anemia.

● The Antoydaya Anna Yojana, which aims to provide food to poor families at subsidized prices.

● The Integrated Child Development Scheme provides early childhood care and focussing on pregnant women and adolescent girls.

● Mid-day Meal was brought up with the aim to improve nutritional levels among school going children.

● The National Mission on Agriculture Extension and Technology provides the right kind of technology and agronomic practices to peasants.

● The National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture came into force with the aim to enhance agricultural productivity.

Global Hunger Index 2020: According to Global Hunger index 2020, With an index of 44.7, Chad was the worst affected by hunger and malnutrition. Timor-Leste followed with an index of 37.6. India is also affected with an index of 27.2 which is a serious concern.

Ways to Tackle Hunger:

● Boost to Langar service at Gurudwara
Five years back, the United Nations adopted a sustainable development goal to eradicate hunger by 2030 but the efforts to eradicate hunger have been going on for the last many years by the system of Langar Seva. Systems like Langar can reduce hunger to zero if the government gives a boost to development of gurudwara by providing necessary resources.

● Government Intervention
The government can encourage domestic and international players to contribute more to society which will help in eradicating the hunger issues. The initiatives taken by many government agencies do not reach the desired people, so it is also necessary to check for the loopholes and problems which exist.

● Need for more Cold Storage Chains
There is a need for cold storage chains, which must be integrated with agriculture markets. It would help in reducing the post-harvest losses and also allow farmers to increase their earnings by tapping into new markets, and maintaining quality at the same time

● Training and Infrastructure
Providing 24/7 supply of water and electricity and upgrading the rural infrastructure by upgrading rural infrastructure, providing dedicated training to farmers to minimize losses. Also integrating small scale firms into value chains to smoothen the flow of goods.

● Food wastages in Weddings
There are over 1 crore weddings each year in India which contributes a large chunk to annual wastage of food. According to a study done by NGO Feeding India, around 10 to 20 percent of the food gets wasted in a wedding. Government, NGOs or CSR departments of various companies can step in to tackle the losses or distribute the leftovers to the needy people.

CONCLUSION
Achieving Zero Hunger till 2030 is a challenging task but not impossible. Hunger and malnutrition is among the most serious concern of the 21st century. Consuming wrong or no food not only impacts body development but also has a severe effect in every other area like education and employment.
A hungry stomach can make people take wrong steps, as rightly said by Pearl S “Hunger makes a thief of any man.” Therefore, it is the time to realise the importance of food and make a sincere effort towards the achievement of the target.

REFERENCES

● https://www.akshayapatra.org/

● http://www.businessfor2030.org/

● https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/daily-updates-news-editorials-how-can-india-overcome-the-zero-hunger-challenge

● https://www.itcportal.com/sustainability/sustainability-report-2020/sustainability-report-2020.pdf

● https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-and-the-hunger-fight#:~:text=Government%20of%20India%20Initiatives&text=Antoydaya%20Anna%20Yojana%20(AAY)%20aims,pregnant%20women%20and%20adolescent%20girls.

● https://www.statista.com/statistics/269924/countries-most-affected-by-hunger-in-the-world-according-to-world-hunger-index/

● https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-news/rs-6000-aid-for-pregnant-women-on-hospitalisation-says-modi/

● https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-how-guru-nanaks-langar-is-helping-un-achieve-its-zero-hunger-goal-6118818/

● https://www.sdgfund.org/goal-2-zero-hunger

● https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-2-zero-hunger.html

● https://www.futurescape.in/responsible-business-rankings/indias-top-companies-and-the-sdgs/