Media Release / Nutrition Report 2022 of the Sufosec Alliance
Berne, October 16, 2022 – On the occasion of World Food Day, the Sufosec Alliance, a coalition of six Swiss NGOs, is publishing its first report on the food situation in 16 countries of the Global South. Based on figures and testimonies from those affected, the report sheds light on the dramatic increase in hunger in the world. It also shows that agroecology is one of the approaches to improve access to sufficient and healthy food while protecting our planet in a sustainable way.
The results of a survey of 14,000 households in Asia, Africa and Latin America conducted by alliance partners Aqua Alimenta, Fastenaktion, Skat Foundation, SWISSAID, Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse and Vivamos Mejor between 2020 and 2022 are alarming: one in four households was affected by hunger and two in three had limited access to food. The war in Ukraine, the Covid 19 pandemic and the impact of climate change on the daily lives of smallholder farmers have further exacerbated an already tense food situation. Goal number 2 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, to end hunger worldwide, seems a distant prospect.
The report also reveals that hunger is becoming more female. When food becomes scarce, it is women who are the first to go without food or have to make do with leftovers from their children and husbands. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that the proportion of undernourished women is 10% higher than that of men.
Initial results give cause for hope
Food insecurity, but more importantly ways to overcome it and success stories are the focus of the report. The first results of the Alliance’s engagement are hopeful: on the one hand, the Alliance has provided humanitarian aid to 850,000 people within two years. On the other hand, it has also introduced agro-ecological* methods designed to eliminate hunger in the long term. In total, 52,000 families have used certain agroecological methods for the first time each year, thus improving their food situation in the long term. Their risk of suffering from hunger or malnutrition has already been reduced by up to 16%.
The road is long, but the motivation of the alliance partners remains strong: By 2024, the Alliance, which is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, aims to reduce hunger and malnutrition by 20% in its project areas.
You can find the full nutrition report in German and French as well as an executive summary in English atwww.sufosec.ch
*Agroecology focuses on short distances, farmer-grown seeds and farming methods adapted to local conditions with greater resilience to climate change. It aims to produce healthy and sustainable food, provide a stable and equitable income to actors in the food chain, and promote the autonomy of local communities.
Contacts:
- Christa Suter, Fastenaktion, Agroecology Specialist, 078 622 29 63.
- Sabine Maier, Vivamos Mejor, Executive Director, Co-President Steering Committee Sufosec, 077 483 47 87
- Nicole Stolz, SWISSAID, Head of EZA Department, 079 639 22 26
Panel discussion
This report will be presented at a public event in English entitled “Is Africa suffering more because of the Ukraine war? Ways out of the hunger crisis” on Friday, October 21 from 12:00 to 13:30 at the House of Religions, Europaplatz 1 in Bern. Various representatives of the Sufosec Alliance, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and academics will participate in the panel discussion.
To register, please click here.
Please contact us via info@swissaid.ch if you would like to participate in the conference online.
Sufosec Alliance
Founded in 2019, the Alliance is an association of six Swiss organizations active in development cooperation (Aqua Alimenta, Fastenaktion, Skat Foundation, SWISSAID, Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse and Vivamos Mejor). It works to fight hunger and malnutrition by sharing resources and expertise and promoting mutual learning and synergies. Its members work with some 1.1 million households in 34 countries. Sufosec is financially supported by a program contribution from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
