A hungry man is an angry man! The idea of sleeping on an empty stomach is not only painful but impacts other aspects of life.
No one can work and be productive whilst their stomach is singing praises of starvation! In the same order, schooling ,peace, justice and understanding is difficult to achieve when people are hungry.
In the 2022 Global Hunger Index, Rwanda ranks 102nd out of the 121 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2022 GHI scores. With a score of 27.2, Rwanda has a level of hunger that is serious.
As much as we do not want to be hungry, at times we find ourselves skipping meals; probably not because we want to but 3 meals a day is unaffordable.
So what could be done for young people not to have a two meals, 1 mean or worsley no meal a day?
We turn to SDG2: Zero hunger
Sustainable Development Goal 2 is about creating a world free of hunger by 2030.
Some of the targets of this goal are to end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.
To double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
To Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries.
Just imagine, these targets are not all of the targets under SDG2. There are other targets and looking at these targets it is evident that the implementation process of SDGs will create opportunities for young people.
How young people can take part
There are some of the things young people can do to play their part in ensuring that there is zero hunger by 2030 with some effects being felt now:
Shop Local and In-Season
Eating locally-grown foods helps to support smaller-scale farmers in one’s community. Buying in-season foods also helps sustain local, native crops and plants
Reduce Food Waste
Food waste is one of the greatest barriers to eradicating hunger as food that could serve food insecure populations instead ends up in landfills. Do not throw away food at home or anywhere else.
Reduce meat consumption
To help mitigate the impact of the meat industry on deforestation, the U.N. has suggested that individuals consider vegetarianism for just a day per week. Just one day of vegetarianism could preserve ‘3 million acres of land’.
Support Organizations working on SDG2
Organisation like GAIN and the World Food Programme will assist when there is a food crisis. It is key for young people to identify community members that are struggling indicate this to these organisations.
Stay Informed & Spread the Word
Staying updated on global hunger reduction initiatives is important for tracking progress made toward Sustainable Development Goal 2. After reading an article like this, drop a comment, like it and share it to your friends and family.
