After a sustained period of fewer wars and the fact that fewer people went to bed hungry each night, our world is experiencing an intense period of heightened global conflict with serious geopolitical consequences, altering our nation’s security.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that between 691 million and 783 million people were hungry globally in 2022, effectively erasing progress made since 2015. In addition, food insecurity rose from 25.3% in 2019 to 29.6% in 2022, with severe food insecurity affecting 11.3% of the global population. The UN World Food Program (WFP) reports more people — 345 million — are facing severe hunger. This is an increase of almost 200 million people compared to early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic.