"Food, climate and natural resources"
Nearly one billion people experience nightly hunger, not due to insufficient food but because of profound injustice in food production and access. The rise of corporate influence in agriculture, the climate crisis, and unequal access to natural resources detrimentally affect people's capacity to cultivate and purchase food. This disproportionately affects women, who play a significant role in agriculture, producing a substantial portion of the world's food.
Hunger in a world of plenty
The food industry mirrors the pervasive economic and gender disparities evident in the global economy. Those involved in food production, especially women, often confront heightened levels of hunger, receive lower wages compared to men, and endure degrading working conditions. On the flip side, large supermarkets and corporate food giants dominate global food markets, reaping substantial profits.
The escalating climate crisis contributes to increased hunger, as growing food becomes more challenging amid intensified storms, severe droughts, and rising sea levels. Vulnerable populations are disproportionately affected by climate change, jeopardizing their fundamental rights.
Furthermore, climate change amplifies the competition for land and natural resources due to escalating demand. Impoverished communities find themselves in conflict with influential entities vying for control over essential resources like land, water, forests, and energy, critical for their survival.
Let's look at the numbers
| 821 M | 821 million people around the world face chronic food deprivation. This is a return to levels from almost a decade ago. |
| 20 M | In 2017, over 20 million people were on the brink of starvation and in need of humanitarian assistance in East Africa due to the impact of climate change. |
| 5% | For products like Ecuadorian bananas or Indian tea, less than 5% of the price paid by consumers in Europe and the US reach small-scale farmers. |
| 100 M | The World Food Program estimates that giving women farmers more resources could reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 100-150 million. |
| 1/5 | Indigenous Peoples and local communities legally own just one-fifth of the lands they manage collectively and have protected for centuries. |
