FAO Hunger Report 2014: Global hunger falls, 805 million people still hungry

“Oxfam welcomes any fall in the number of hungry people. This is proof that we can make great strides in eradicating global hunger. But in a world of plenty, 805 million hungry people is still 805 million too many,” said Oxfam spokesperson Luca Chinotti. “Global hunger is still unacceptably high.”

“The fight to end global hunger is going in the right direction but is still too slow. These 2012-14 figures show a mixed picture at best. Some regions and countries seem to be winning but others are stagnant or falling behind, compared to the levels of four years ago. More action is needed in the world’s 'hunger hot spots' particularly in sub-Saharan Africa – where one in four people remain undernourished and the number of hungry people has actually increased by 10 million in the past four years.

"More political commitment is needed if we’re to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of undernourished people by 2015. We need to give more support to small scale farmers, better policies based on the right to food, and stronger social protection policies. The best way to eradicate global hunger is to tackle poverty and inequality.

"Climate change sits over these new global hunger figures like a black cloud. Our chances of stamping out global hunger are lessening by the day because the world is not adequately tackling climate change. At current projections, we are heading for well over a 2 degree temperature rise. Above that, the chances for eradicating global hunger become impossible."