“Unfortunately, the latest figures are not promising,” Helena Semedo told Lusa News Agency, adding that hunger was rising around the world.
A greater effort is needed, as well as more integration at a political and intellectual level so that in 2030, the “objectives [of the United Nations] of lasting development can be reached,” Helena Semedo, who became the first woman from Cape Verde to receive an honorary doctorate on Monday in Lisbon, said:
“The United Nations considers that feeding a hungry planet is increasingly difficult as climate change and the depletion of soils and other resources undermine the food systems.”
According to the FAO’s report released on 28 November, new policies are needed to reach “zero hunger” and the population increase demands more nutritious food supply at accessible prices.
However, increasing agricultural production is challenging due to fragile natural resources, the FAO said.
Around 820 million people suffer from malnutrition, according to the report, and food security continues to be a problem for millions of people who lack access to sufficiently nutritious diets, with poverty being the main cause.
The FAO expects the global demand for food to grow by 50 percent between 2013 and 2050.