SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION ROAD MAP TO IMPROVED GLOBAL FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

The current world population is exponentially expanding, which has been estimated to be more than 8 billion as recorded by the United Nations (UN). Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 870 million people in this global population cannot afford adequate food and the majority of the world (98%) lives in the developing world, where approximately 15% population of these countries face hunger. More precisely, the global population is projected to reach 9 billion in the year 2050, which would cause acute food shortages and strongly undermine international food security. It has also been found that food losses, particularly post-harvest losses because of inefficient agricultural methods, significantly affect the economy and the lives of the low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This means that pragmatic solutions must be set in place in regard to make sustainable agriculture systems, enhancing nutritional value and food security to eliminate hunger. This paper has explained the drivers of food insecurity, which are food losses, overpopulation growth, food hunger, food production and others. This report has also highlights some of the key transformative strategies that are value addition through proper food processing and preservation technologies, genetic engineering of the food crops, consumption of functional foods and incorporation of local nutrient dense underutilized food crops that have the potential to become transformative and comprehensive form of transformation that could be sustainable and holistic in food/nutrition security, particularly in underdeveloped nations, that are affected by the burden and prevalence of malnutrition, hunger and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) the most.