Pandemic of hunger

Pandemic of hunger

Pandemic of hunger, hints of hope

On #WorldFoodDay, we look at Africa, where the COVID-19 pandemic has piled on new challenges in countries that were already battling threats including climate change and invasive pests. Disrupted supply chains, planting seasons, incomes and remittances could lead to 130 million more people living with chronic hunger by the end of 2020 than had been expected, according to the United Nations. At the same time, researchers hope to make the most of opportunities to strengthen food systems and make them more resilient. “COVID-19 served as a catalyst for wider adoption of innovations in agriculture that were starting to take off before the pandemic,” says Kwaw Andam, a food-security specialist with the International Food Policy Research Institute in Nigeria.

Nature | 12 min readThis article is editorially independent and produced with financial support from Ceres2030: Sustainable Solutions to End Hunger.