Global and Regional Perspectives of Food Economy and Policy

Abstract

Despite progress in much of the world, food insecurity remains high, especially in Africa and South Asia. Significant challenges to progress on food security remain, including rapid population growth and urbanization leading to changing diets, climate change, and increasing water scarcity. This paper describes the status and challenges to food security and models the impact of policies and investments to make better progress in reducing hunger. The results indicate that significant reductions in hunger can be made by boosting crop and livestock productivity through enhanced investment in agricultural research; increased investment in rural infrastructure, including roads and electricity, to reduce post‐harvest losses and improve value chain efficiency; and investments in irrigation and water use efficiency.