Hunger Problem on the Planet: Economic and Political Aspects

The problem of hunger has plagued humanity throughout its history. It may seem that in the 21st century, due to the development of science, agriculture, international trade, and transportation systems, it should already be solved. However, this does not happen, and millions of people still do not have access to nutritious and safe food. The world is still far from solving this task, and achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations (UN), which is to eliminate hunger by 2030 (the first goal is elimination of poverty), seems difficult. There are many declarations and decisions of international organizations, starting with the United Nations, which state that food should not be used “as an instrument of political and economic pressure” and “as a method of warfare”, but they are not respected. It is becoming increasingly clear that elimination of hunger requires large-scale, innovative approaches at a high intergovernmental level, as well as the prevention of its deliberate usage as a means of solving political problems. At the same time, economic approaches should include not only making decisions about investments in agricultural technologies leading to higher crop yields, increased efficiency of cattle and poultry farming, primarily in underdeveloped regions, but also the creation of more advanced methods of food storage and transportation to minimize waste and losses. But it is equally important to make and implement informed policy decisions that would contribute to a fair distribution of the resources needed to provide food to the people of countries in need, without exposing them to starvation. Examples of the use of famine to wage war are discussed in the article – from the siege of Leningrad during World War II up to the present-day events related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation surrounding the special military operation in Ukraine. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the data available on a wide range of issues related to hunger and food shortages on our planet, as well as actions taken to address these issues at the international level.