Food Security Matters: Investing in a Sustainable Global Food System

Every human being deserves the dignity of a full plate. Yet in 2024, approximately 673 million people—8.2% of the global population—faced hunger, and 2.3 billion experienced moderate or severe food insecurity. Behind each number is a child lacking nutrients essential for growth, a family displaced by conflict, and communities excluded from markets by geographic and economic barriers. The scale of this crisis demands more than compassion; it requires a bold, coordinated response that transforms the global food system itself.

The Global Hunger Crisis Unveiled

The decline from 8.5% hunger in 2023 to 8.2% in 2024 offers a glimmer of hope, but progress remains uneven and fragile. An estimated 295 million people endured acute hunger last year, marking the sixth consecutive annual rise. Regions such as Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, and Mali face record levels of catastrophic hunger, driven by war, climate disasters, and systemic inequities.

Conflict and climate shocks drive mass displacement, uprooting families and disrupting food production. In 2024, millions were forced to flee their homes, with humanitarian needs skyrocketing even as funding fell short. Children under age five—over 190 million—suffer from undernutrition, jeopardizing their physical development and mental well-being. Meanwhile, for the first time in history, obesity among those aged 5 to 19 has overtaken underweight children, revealing a paradox of malnutrition and diet-related diseases coexisting in the same communities.

The Affordability Challenge: Healthy Diets at Risk

Food price inflation has relentlessly outpaced overall inflation since 2020. In January 2023, food costs surged 13.6%, exceeding headline inflation by 5.1 percentage points. These spikes, fueled by pandemic policy responses, the Ukraine conflict, and extreme weather events, pushed healthy diets further out of reach.

While the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet fell from 2.76 billion in 2019 to 2.60 billion in 2024, this improvement hides a stark divide:

• In low-income countries, the count rose from 464 million to 545 million, driven by sharper cost increases.
• In lower-middle-income countries (excluding India), the figure ballooned from 79 million to 869 million.

Disparities in food access deepen inequalities, trapping families in cycles of poor health and limited economic opportunity. Ensuring affordable, nutritious diets must be at the heart of any sustainable food system strategy.

Bridging the Investment Gap

According to experts, global agrifood systems require annual investments of $1.1 trillion over the next five years to transition to sustainable and resilient models. Yet current funding reaches only 5% of that target—leaving an immense gap of roughly $1.045 trillion each year. Another analysis suggests a $4.5 trillion shortfall for securing a sustainable food future.

Climate finance remains unevenly distributed: agrifood systems receive only 7.2% of total climate funding—around $95 billion. Public sources dominate, but most growth benefits advanced markets while emerging economies struggle to access vital resources. Private investments, concentrated in Europe and North America, bypass regions like Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, where needs are greatest.

Innovations Propelling Sustainable Change

Despite funding shortfalls, momentum for innovation is rising. In the first quarter of 2025, regenerative agriculture and food systems attracted 37 deals worth over $1.17 billion. Biological-based input innovation led with 27% of deals, focusing on natural fertilizers, microbial treatments, and seed diversity. Farm transition support, supply chain upgrades, and processing technologies also gained traction.

• Biological inputs enhancing soil health and yield resilience
• Agrivoltaics and biomass projects marrying energy and agriculture
• AI-driven data systems guiding precision farming and market access

Science and technology fuel evidence-based policymaking, helping governments and producers adopt practices that reduce emissions, restore ecosystems, and boost productivity. As sustainable investment flows are projected to reach $53 trillion in 2025, agritech stands at the forefront of this transformation.

A Multi-Sectoral Path Forward

Transforming food systems demands coordinated action across sectors—from farm to fork. Policymakers are forging national food system pathways: by 2025, 130 countries will have crafted blueprints, and 159 have appointed convenors to steer implementation. Innovative financing mechanisms, including blended finance, public-private partnerships, and green bonds, are emerging to channel resources where they matter most.

Trade policies must shift from barriers to enablers, ensuring that surplus production can reach crisis zones swiftly. Meanwhile, tackling food waste—which claims one-third of global output, or 1.3 billion tons—offers a high-return opportunity: reducing loss can free up resources, lower prices, and feed millions.

Every dollar invested in nutrition delivers $23 in benefits through improved health, educational attainment, and workforce productivity. Per-capita incomes in 83 low- and middle-income countries are projected to grow by 3.7% in 2025, potentially reducing the food-insecure population by 221 million. The economic and social returns underscore the urgency of scaling up targeted interventions.

Charting a Vision for 2030 and Beyond

As the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals loom, the world remains off track to eradicate hunger (SDG 2.1) and malnutrition (SDG 2.2). The UN Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, injects fresh momentum by emphasizing resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability.

Our collective challenge is clear: cultivate global solidarity, accelerate investment, and champion innovation. By aligning policies, mobilizing finance, and empowering local communities, we can build a food system that is equitable, resilient, and regenerative. Every stakeholder—from smallholder farmers to multinational investors—has a role to play in this shared mission.

Let this be the decade when we transform hunger into hope, scarcity into abundance, and fragmentation into unity. Together, we can nourish the world and secure a legacy of food security for generations to come.