The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a comprehensive tool used to measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels. Unfortunately, the outlook for hunger in 2021
is grim. The forces driving hunger, such as conflict, climate change, and COVID-19, are overpowering good intentions and lofty goals. Violent conflict, which is closely intertwined with hunger, shows no signs of abating.

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Additionally, the consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent and costly, yet the world has not developed a fully effective mechanism to slow, much less reverse, its effects.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has spiked in different parts of the world throughout 2020 and 2021, has highlighted just how vulnerable we are to global contagion and the associated health and economic consequences. As we struggle to contain the current pandemic, it is important to recognize that this will not be the last.

 

As a result of these factors, as well as underlying issues such as poverty, inequality, unsustainable food systems, lack of investment in agriculture and rural development, inadequate safety nets, and poor governance, progress in the fight against hunger is stalling and even being reversed. This dire context is shaping the hunger situation globally, regionally, and in individual countries.

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India has fallen to the 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021 among 116 countries, down from its 2020 position of 94th, trailing behind its neighbors Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The Global Hunger Index website, which tracks hunger and malnutrition, shows that 18 countries, including China, Brazil, and Kuwait, have achieved the top rank with a GHI score of less than five. The report, jointly prepared by Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and German organization Welt Hunger Hilfe, describes the level of hunger in India as “alarming”.