Global hunger index calls for resilience

The developing world is becoming more
vulnerable to a variety of shocks and stressors,
from extreme weather events, climate change
and environmental degradation to population
pressures, macroeconomic crises, conflict, and
poor governance.
According to the International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI) the traditional approach
to dealing with shocks is temporary infusions of
aid, with separate development efforts focused
on mitigating stresses and making people less
vulnerable in the longer run. Yet the persistent
vulnerability of regions - such as the Sahel and
the Horn of Africa - suggests the traditional
separation of relief and development efforts is not
working.
In recognition of this situation, the 2013 Global
Hunger Index (GHI), released for the eighth year
by IFPRI, Welthungerhilfe, and Concern
Worldwide, calls for greater resilience-building
efforts to boost food and nutrition security.
The Index identifies hunger levels and hot spots
across 120 developing countries and countries in
transition. It scores countries based on three
equally weighted indicators: (1) the proportion of
people who are undernourished, (2) the
proportion of children under five who are
underweight, and (3) the mortality rate of children
under five.
The 2013 Index indicates that global hunger is
decreasing; the 2013 world GHI score has fallen
by 34 per cent from the 1990 GHI score. Yet
world hunger still remains "serious," with 19
countries suffering from levels of hunger that are
either "alarming" or "extremely alarming." South
Asia has the highest regional GHI score, followed
by Africa south of the Sahara while Burundi,
Eritrea and Comoros have the highest levels of
hunger.
Most countries where the hunger situation is
already "alarming" or "extremely alarming" are
vulnerable to the negative effects of extreme
weather events, climate change, population
pressure, conflicts and economic crises.
Traditional coping mechanisms as well as the
capacity of governments are in many cases
hugely challenged.
Resilience is defined as the capacity not only to
absorb milder shocks, but also to learn from and
adapt to larger ones, and to fundamentally
transform economic, social, and ecological
structures in response to the most severe ones.
Resilience-building should therefore encompass
prevention, mitigation and the promotion of
development paths that reduce exposure to
shocks in the longer term.