Editing Hunger (section)

{{Short description|Sustained inability to eat sufficient food}}
{{About|the social and political aspects of hunger|the physical sensation|Hunger (physiology)|the physical extremes|Starvation|and|Famine|other uses|Hunger (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|appetite}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
[[File:Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mathew Ahmann in a crowd.) - NARA - 542015 - Restoration.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Martin Luther King Jr.]] (center), one of many 20th century political figures who considered it important to fight hunger: "When I die, don't build a [[List of memorials to Martin Luther King Jr.|monument to me]]. Don't bestow me degrees from great universities. Just clothe the naked. Say that I tried to house the homeless. Let people say that I tried to feed the hungry."<ref name = "foodAndFamine"/>]]

In [[politics]], [[humanitarian aid]], and the [[social science]]s, '''hunger''' is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic [[Human nutrition|nutritional]] needs for a sustained period. In the field of hunger relief, the term '''''hunger''''' is used in a sense that goes beyond the common desire for food that all humans experience, also known as an '''''[[appetite]]'''''. The most extreme form of hunger, when [[malnutrition]] is widespread, and when people have started dying of starvation through lack of access to sufficient, nutritious food, leads to a declaration of [[famine]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Famine Prevention |url=https://www.wfp.org/fight-famine |website=wfp.org |publisher=World Food Programme |access-date=6 May 2021 |archive-date=21 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221064143/https://www.wfp.org/fight-famine |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:The Hunger March in Copenhagen (dk).JPG|thumb|''[[The Hunger March]]'' sculptures in Copenhagen]]
Throughout history, portions of the world's population have often suffered sustained periods of hunger. In many cases, hunger resulted from food supply disruptions caused by [[war]], [[Pandemic|plagues]], or [[adverse weather]]. In the decades following [[World War II]], technological progress and enhanced political cooperation suggested it might be possible to substantially reduce the number of people suffering from hunger. While progress was uneven, by 2015, the threat of extreme hunger had receded for a large portion of the world's population. According to the FAO's 2023 The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, this positive trend had reversed from about 2017, when a gradual rise in number of people suffering from chronic hunger became discernible. In 2020 and 2021, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], there was an increase in the number of people suffering from undernourishment. A recovery occurred in 2022 along with the economic rebound, though the impact on global food markets caused by the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|invasion of Ukraine]] meant the reduction in world hunger was limited.<ref name="FAO2023"/>

While most of the world's people continue to live in [[Asia]], much of the increase in hunger since 2017 occurred in [[Africa]] and [[South America]]. The FAO's 2017 report discussed three principal reasons for the recent increase in hunger: [[climate]], [[Group conflict|conflict]], and [[Recession|economic slowdowns]]. The 2018 edition focused on [[extreme weather]] as a primary driver of the increase in hunger, finding rising rates to be especially severe in countries where agricultural systems were most sensitive to extreme weather variations. The 2019 SOFI report found a strong correlation between increases in hunger and countries that had suffered an [[economic slowdown]]. The 2020 edition instead looked at the prospects of achieving the hunger related [[Sustainable Development Goals|Sustainable Development Goal]] (SDG). It warned that if nothing was done to counter the adverse trends of the past six years, the number of people suffering from chronic hunger could rise by over 150 million by 2030. The 2023 report reported a sharp jump in hunger caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which leveled off in 2022. According to the report of United Nations from 2025, hunger increases globally for 6 years in a row.<ref name=UN2025/>

Many thousands of organizations are engaged in the field of hunger relief, operating at local, national, regional, or international levels. Some of these organizations are dedicated to hunger relief, while others may work in several different fields. The organizations range from multilateral institutions to national governments, to small local initiatives such as independent [[soup kitchen]]s. Many participate in umbrella networks that connect thousands of different hunger relief organizations. At the global level, much of the world's hunger relief efforts are coordinated by the [[United Nations|UN]] and geared towards achieving [[Sustainable Development Goal 2|SDG 2 of ''Zero Hunger'']] by 2030.