Pakistan’s Progress towards Eradication of Hunger

Preamble

Pakistan has been ranked as a country with a “serious” hunger level with 24.6 percent of its population being undernourished on the Global Hunger Index 2016. To fulfill Pakistan’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, Pakistan is making substantial efforts toward SDGs Goal 2, Zero Hunger. This blog presents the current situation in Pakistan with respect to SDG 2 and highlights its significance. The blog also shows Pakistan’s progress in achieving zero hunger targets and presents a way forward for the future.

Research Questions

1. What is the importance of SDG 2, Zero Hunger?

2. What is the current state of hunger in Pakistan?

3. How far has Pakistan progressed in achieving its zero hunger goals?

4. How can Pakistan ensure the successful eradication of hunger?

Introduction

In 2015, the Millennium development goals (MDGs) were replaced by seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) to ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030. Pakistan’s national development plan, Vision 2025, focuses on the country’s people as its greatest assets and seeks to improve human and social capital, food security, and nutrition. Pakistan faces a serious hunger problem. Nearly half a billion people (486 million) in the Asia-Pacific region are malnourished (Dawn, 2018). In Pakistan, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a poverty and hunger watchdog, found that one in five of Pakistan’s 200 million people is malnourished (Dawn, 2020). These numbers are extremely alarming as Pakistan’s population continues to grow with minimal infrastructural development and declining agricultural efficiency. Persistent malnutrition, along with high vulnerability to natural disasters due to the effects of climate change are some of the key challenges which need to be overcome to achieve Pakistan’s goals of socio-economic progress. Fortunately, Pakistan has a vast network of NGOs and social workers who are ready to provide their services but lack funds and resources. Pakistan has had weak performance indicators in hunger eradication, and if strong measures at the institutional level and policy framework are not taken, Pakistan risks long-term economic prosperity and human environmental development.

Importance of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) in Pakistan

Around 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year, which amounts to $1 trillion while the food production for human consumption is 3.9 billion tons. Only one-quarter of this wasted food can nourish the 795 million people around the world who suffer from hunger (Dawn, 2019). Although the world produces enough food to feed seven billion people, the uneven distribution of food has caused one billion to remain undernourished and another two billion to suffer from hidden hunger (Dawn, 2019). Within every 10 seconds, a child dies from hunger-related diseases. In Pakistan, vitamin deficiencies are the most common disease among children under five years old. It is very unfortunate that humans have reached the moon in terms of technological development and advancements in science, but the world is still discussing the eradication of hunger by 2030. In a report, it was noted that 6.7 billion tons of milk are wasted, and fish production is one million tons per year, but per capita consumption is only 2 kilograms in Pakistan (Dawn, 2019). The fight against hunger and malnutrition is often downplayed in the backdrop of conflicts, extreme weather events linked to climate change, economic slowdown, and rapid increase in overweight and obesity levels.

SDGs Goal 2, Zero Hunger, aims to end hunger and ensure access to nutritious and sufficient food for all throughout the year, especially for the poor and vulnerable. The goal also strives to end malnutrition and stunting in children under the age of five. In Pakistan, 44 percent of all children in the country remain stunted, according to the National Nutrition Survey 2011 (Ministry of Health, 2012). The goal also aims to double the agricultural productivity and ensure sustainable food production systems with resilient agricultural practices. Performance assessment is based on several indicators such as the prevalence of undernourishment, food insecurity, stunting, malnutrition, and volume of production. The situation is dire in Pakistan as more than half the children under five are deficient in vitamins, and nearly 62 percent are anemic (UNICEF, 2021). Wasting is also extremely high in Pakistan with several areas considered to be at emergency levels of wasting to the level of skin and bones. Eight out of ten children in Pakistan do not eat the right type of foods. While programs to care for and treat severe malnutrition are highly effective in Pakistan, they are covering less than five percent of the total malnourished. The Ministry of National Services Regulation and Coordination (MoNHSR&C), Government of Pakistan, in collaboration with UNICEF and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), developed and carried out the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2018. According to the results, 40 percent of children remain stunted while 29 percent are underweight and 18 percent are wasted (Ministry of Health, 2019)

Pakistan’s Progress on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

In Pakistan, the prevalence of undernourishment has slowly declined, but the gains have been reversed due to climate-related shocks, challenges of droughts, floods, and covid-19 impacts. This constantly affects the poorer communities, pushing most of them into poverty and hunger. Due to rapid food price fluctuations in times of covid-19, there is a considerable concern related to food security.  The Ministry of National Food Security and Research monitors the country’s situation through the Food Security and Nutrition Information System (FSNIS) which comprises decision-makers, development partners, and participants in this system who ensure action for adequate food for all Pakistanis. It answers questions like does Pakistan need to import more of a certain food item, or does it need to grow more. The evolution of policies and programs by federal and provincial governments during the covid-19 pandemic has made the FSNIS an important way to monitor the impact of government initiatives and the ability of people to access food during disruptions of the supply chain.

The first national food security policy and water policy has been designed for putting emphasis on agriculture value addition, climate-smart water management, safe drinking water, and the national zero hunger program (Dawn, 2020). Efforts have also been made to launch climate-smart agriculture initiatives that help in managing agricultural systems to fight back the impacts of climate change. This will increase productivity and income for farmers while ensuring reduced climate impact from greenhouse gas emissions and food surplus for distribution. The government has also launched the zero-hunger project, which is like the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) but is also different in many ways. Its targets include school feeding programs in areas of extreme hunger, a nutrition program for children under five, a nutrition plan for pregnant women, targeted and conditional safety nets, zero-hunger shops in areas of major cities, and coordination among government institutions. Pakistan has also launched an annual publication of Pakistan Overview of Food Security and Nutrition (POFI) and remains the first country to launch a publication of such kind. It serves as a benchmark for official estimates on reaching Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.

Way Forward for Pakistan in Achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

Policymakers, government bodies, food producers, manufacturers, consumers, and academia should work together to find out ways to eradicate hunger from the country and reduce the malnutrition problems. Food insecurity can lead to different manifestations of malnutrition. Shifting to healthy and balanced diets can reduce climate change costs as the adoption of healthy diets can lead to a reduction of up to 97 percent of direct and indirect health costs. This needs a realignment in dietary habits and the introduction of nutritious ingredients by making a more diverse range of foods available to the public. Pakistan should also strive to provide adequate food and nutrition in the aftermath of natural disasters. The social protection system at the federal and provincial levels should provide those in need with improved access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. Lastly, communities in disaster-prone districts should have a more resilient food system and better disaster risk management by strengthening the capabilities of institutions.

Conclusion

Pakistan is making tremendous efforts for the implementation of SDGs given the limited amount of funds and meager budget allocation. Hunger continues to plague millions in Pakistan. Although some improvement has been seen compared to past records, the growing population and menace of coronavirus have put Pakistan’s progress in danger. Several social security and poverty alleviation programs have been established to help the poor and needy in problems related to malnutrition, stunting, and hunger. With efforts to sensitize the public at a local level, Pakistan can gain further progress in its SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), eventually eradicating hunger in the country.

Key Takeaways

1. Nearly half a billion people (486 million) in the Asia-Pacific region are malnourished.

2. Pakistan’s national development plan, Vision 2025, focuses on the country’s people as its greatest assets and seeks to improve human and social capital, food security, and nutrition.

3. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a poverty and hunger watchdog, found that one in five of Pakistan’s 200 million people is malnourished.

4. Shifting to healthy and balanced diets can reduce climate change costs as the adoption of healthy diets can lead to a reduction of up to 97 percent of direct and indirect health costs.

5. In Pakistan, 44 percent of all children in the country remain stunted, according to the National Nutrition Survey 2011.

Bibliography

Dawn. (2018). 4pc children get ‘minimally acceptable diet’ in Pakistan: UN. Retrieved from Dawn: https://www.dawn.com/news/1443231

Dawn. (2019). Saving food can feed 795m hungry people, moot told. Retrieved from Dawn: https://www.dawn.com/news/1511227

Dawn. (2020). World should focus on achieving zero hunger by 2030: PM’s aide. Retrieved from Dawn: https://www.dawn.com/news/1585407

Dawn. (2020). Zero hunger. Retrieved from Dawn: https://www.dawn.com/news/1580824/zero-hunger

Ministry of Health. (2012). National Nutrition Survey 2011. Ministry of Health.

Ministry of Health. (2019). National Nutrition Survey 2018.

UNICEF. (2021). Nutrition. Retrieved from UNICEF Pakistan: https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/nutrition-0#:~:text=Inadequate%20nutrition%20among%20mothers%20during,Pakistani%20children%20suffer%20from%20stunting.&text=The%20devastating%20result%20of%20acute,away%20to%20skin%20and%20bones.