The HungerExpert World

Paul Newnham is the director of SDG2

Advocacy Hub, an initiative bringing together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector, and UN agencies to coordinate global campaigning and advocacy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2.

He talks to Bahrain Food Monitor about food security, world hunger and why the GCC’s plans for food production is exciting.

What inspired you to dedicate your career to creating a world free of hunger?

I grew up in my formative and teenage years, in Bangladesh, India, and Malawi, with extensive travel to many other countries in between. I began to realise early on in my life that many people did not have enough food to feed their families. That this was often the result of things outside their control. That access and affordability were big barriers to preventing people from having good food on their tables. I also realised, that so much of living, is spent celebrating and coming together around food. I wanted to be a voice that advocated for Good Food for All. In turn, focusing on those who didn’t have enough of the right foods to thrive. Those who can’t afford good food. Who don’t have access to good food. Who are caught in conflict and power struggles where food is used as a weapon. Who are unable to grow food in the face of a changing climate. This propelled me forward to do the work I do now.

Do you think the globe is on track to achieve SDG2 by 2030?

The world is currently off track to achieve the 2030 Agenda and specifically SDG2. Hunger and malnutrition are once again on the rise. Smallholder farmers are on the frontlines of both fragile food systems and climate change, without the necessary tools to adapt and continue to grow good food. Significant actions are required, urgently, if we hope to reach these goals.

This back slide on SDG2 has been compacted by rising costs and the cost of living crisis, Covid 19, Conflict, and unchecked Climate. If the current trajectory continues, 670 million people, or 8% of the world’s population will still face hunger in 2030.

Aside from the war, what are the key challenges facing food security and sustainability today?

In the Sustainable Development Goal space, we refer to the key drivers of hunger and food insecurity as the 4 C’s – Cost, COVID, Climate and Conflict. Or, more recently, a term first mentioned at Davos during the World Economic Forum in January this year – a polycrisis. When multiple global crises become entangled with one another and compound each of the issues, presenting challenges at an unparalleled level: countries across the globe struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and face a cost of living crisis, while unchecked climate change, protracted conflicts and inequalities further drive food insecurity and malnutrition.

What are some examples of sustainable agriculture practices that can help address these challenges?

We need to look to regeneration in our practices on the whole increasing Biodiversity. The good news is that we know what works. Smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, are the stewards of local food and environment systems who have been growing food and taking care of the planet for centuries. As such, smallholders can play a critical role in meeting many of the challenges we face: safeguarding biodiversity by diversifying food production for nutritious and affordable diets as well as building resilience in food, water and environmental systems to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Smallholders are also critical in ensuring the continuation of local food production and thus reducing food insecurity in conflict areas. However, urgent investments that equip smallholder farmers to respond to these challenges must be accessible in low and middle-income countries, particularly for women and youth.

How can different governments, NGOs, and the private sector across the globe work together to address food security and sustainability challenges?

I think sharing information and data is key. Agricultural data is critical for informed decision-making and often is not available. They can join networking groups and organised bodies such as farmer networks and advocacy networks like the SDG2 Advocacy Hub networking group!

Additionally, food systems transformation is an urgent, complex and ambitious endeavour that needs all stakeholders to play their part. That’s one of the great things about the UN Food Systems Summit and its Coalitions, such as the School Meals Coalition, that gathers all stakeholders together with a shared ambition and agenda to share learnings and skillsets with other parts of the globe.

How can we ensure that small-scale farmers and producers are able to participate in and benefit from sustainable food systems?

Great question! We see small-scale farmers and producers as critical agents in delivering food systems transformation. Due to their relative size and proximity, smallholder farmers have a critical role to play in producing diverse and nutritious diets, adapting to climate change and safeguarding the health of the planet. Small-scale food producers must have a seat at the table and their voice heard in key global fora, such as COP28. Recognising their unique role in shaping the future of food, our team led throughout 2022 the development of a new consensus with small-scale food producers that, based on the findings of Ceres2030, outlined a political call to action that elevates the voices and priorities of this critical stakeholder group for the delivery of SDG2 and food systems transformation.

How can consumers make more sustainable food choices, and what role do they play in promoting food security and sustainability?

Consumers have a huge amount of power when it comes to participating in food systems transformation. They create demand and can use their buying power to support produce that is grown using regenerative practices.

People can choose to eat produce that is climate-friendly and highly nutritious plus being more affordable, such as beans, peas, pulses, lentils and legumes. They can become aware of where food comes from and choose local over imported. All of this requires investing in educating citizens about food systems, and how they can play a role in positively transforming them. Governments have a big role to play, as they can mandate policies that enforce this, as well as work cross-sectoral to incentivize good agricultural practices, positive public messaging campaigns and promote sustainable businesses.

What are your future plans in your capacity as Executive Director: SDG2 Advocacy Hub Secretariat?

Right now, I am very focused on our priorities for 2023. Hungry for Action – a campaign calling for an urgent response to the global food crisis – is a huge priority for this year. 49 million people face emergency levels of hunger or are at risk of famine and 828 million do not know what food they will eat for their next meal. This is simply not acceptable to me, especially when the world collectively has the means to prevent this.

In late 2022 we also launched Beans is How – a campaign to double bean consumption by 2028. We are building a strong coalition of partners, as well as putting in place a global strategy to help achieve this goal.

I continue to actively build food champions such as chefs who are part of our Chefs’ Manifesto network. As well as seek out opportunities to advocate for Good Food For All.

All of this requires a dedicated and conscientious team, who continue to grow and work hard to support our wider mandates.

Governments in the GCC are investing a lot into domestic food production and diversifying their food sources. Is enough being done?

It is exciting to see the collective efforts across the GCC as for so long, they have been food insecure. Farms such as Emirates Bio Farm in the UAE, are leading the way on growing fresh produce locally, for 6 months of the year. They take active efforts in the non-growing seasons, to pickle and preserve as much as they can. It is very difficult though, with such hot climates and little rainfall, and 80% of food on average still being imported. More efforts to increase production, particularly researching and investing in climate-hardy indigenous, forgotten and neglected species, to discover what used to be grown before food could be imported, is needed, to get the GCC to a level where they can be sufficiently food secure. This would need to be coupled with behaviour change campaigns for the wider population, to decrease demand for food importation.

Food waste is a big problem in the region. What can be done to address this issue?

It is, like many issues facing our food systems, a multi-faceted problem. 1/3 food produced is wasted, often between harvest and consumption. Therefore, there needs to be more efficient harvesting practices, as well as distribution. Citizen awareness – the more individuals and communities are aware of their own footprint, the more they can demand and generate change. Education, empowerment, and action – keys to any change at any level. People need to know before they can act. They need to have agency to be empowered. And they need to have practical ways they can generate change. There are many great companies and businesses that are working on reducing food waste. Find them and support them! Start food repurposing kitchens. Create campaigns to call on hotel chains to stop serving buffets, where so much food is wasted. Have chefs take training courses such as ‘Wasted’ where they can learn how to eliminate food waste in their kitchens.