Tens of millions of people in the world still experience food insecurity

The World Food Program states, there are around 41 million people in 43 countries who will experience food insecurity in 2021. This number is among the highest since the figure increased in 2016. In 2019, for example, the number of food insecurity reached around 27 million people. The high level of food insecurity is mostly caused by prolonged conflict, climate change, and the economic downturn due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of the 43 countries, the majority are filled by countries in Africa. Where there are still many developing countries that are struggling to survive various humanitarian crises. Among them are Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda, to Madagascar.

The agency also stated that skyrocketing food prices in 2021 were one of the factors for the increasing number of food insecurity. The United Nations says the increase in food prices this year is the highest in a decade. Prices for basic foods such as cereals, vegetable oils, dairy products, meat and sugar, rose about 40 percent compared to last year.

In fact, global corn prices have soared by almost 90 percent year over year. Wheat prices rose nearly 30 percent during the same period. This is certainly an irony, because both are staple foods of many countries in the world.

Not only adults. Food insecurity also affects children in Africa. It is difficult to get food, making many of them have to endure hunger for days. In six countries in East Africa, namely Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda, at least 12.8 million children are acutely malnourished.

Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) seeks to be present to reduce the food crisis through Global Qurban. Later, Global Qurban will distribute sacrificial animal meat to underprivileged brothers and sisters around the world, including Africa. This program is not the first time. Every year, ACT routinely distributes the sacrificial meats produced by the generosity of the Indonesian people, for the residents of the Black Continent. As in 2020, nearly 1 million people in 33 countries became beneficiaries of thousands of sacrificial animals from Global Qurban.