Ending global food crisis must remain a moral and political imperative

Sir, – The article by Tom Arnold and Cary Fowler is both important and timely (“Sixty years of fighting hunger yielded results but another food crisis looms”, Science & Climate, October 22nd).

The authors raise the alarm about a serious lack of political willingness and funding to address the emerging global food crisis. The lack of political commitment is linked to the “ideological isolationism” described by Minister of State Neale Richmond, which has seen so many governments reduce their development budgets at a time of increasing humanitarian need (“European governments opted for ‘Trumpian’ turn on development aid, says Richmond”, News, October 19th).

Over the last 50 years global action, driven by investment and political momentum, has saved millions of lives and seen billions of people exit extreme poverty because of improved access to nutritious food and basic healthcare. This progress was only possible due to a shared commitment to achieving zero hunger and a belief that doing so was not just possible but essential for a safe, prosperous and secure world.

For more than a decade the EU has demonstrated global leadership on food security and nutrition. The EU’s recent Ninth Progress Report on the Commission’s Action Plan on Nutrition 2014-2025 estimates that EU support helped to avert 7.2 million cases of child stunting between 2012 and 2025. The report states that good nutrition is a universal cornerstone of health, human potential and economic and societal stability, and that malnutrition undermines wellbeing, productivity and resilience.

The solutions to prevent an end to malnutrition exist. They have been tried and tested by organisations such as Concern and there are decades of evidence and experience that show how best this can be done. Malnutrition is not inevitable. Decisive and timely investment in nutrition generates lasting social and economic gains.

Ireland‘s EU presidency comes at a critical time as the EU and its member states shape their priorities for the years ahead. In the next EU budget member states must heed the alarm and act to sustain the EU’s commitment to keeping food security and nutrition high on their political and budgetary agenda.

Bringing shared expertise and evidence together, Concern looks forward to convening a dialogue on food security, nutrition and fragility in Dublin on October 27th – an important opportunity to make the case that ending hunger must remain both a moral and political imperative. – Yours, etc,

DOMINIC CROWLEY,

Chief executive officer,

Concern Worldwide,

Dublin 2.