Global hunger and malnutrition are rising

I thank the Government and people of Ethiopia for hosting us here in Addis Ababa, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), for organizing this critical dialogue.

Let me begin by stating the not-so-obvious.  Food systems are about more than food.  They are about health, nutrition, climate, decent work, justice and dignity -- and the right to a better future.

Last year’s Pact for the Future reaffirmed our shared commitment to food systems that are inclusive, sustainable, equitable, resilient and grounded in human rights.  Yet, armed with this knowledge, progress is nowhere near where it should be.

As we launch the “2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” report today, the irony is made abundantly clear.  What the data reveals is a crisis of priorities, not just resources:  we have perfected the financing of human wants while failing to fund the most basic of human needs.

Global hunger and malnutrition are rising.  Trade shocks are pushing food prices out of reach.  Climate change is disrupting harvests and supply chains.  Conflict continues to drive hunger, from Gaza to Sudan and beyond.  One third of the world's people cannot afford a healthy diet.  Another third of the world's food is lost or wasted.

Finance, the engine of progress, and the key to turning this situation around, is shamefully absent.  The investment gap for food systems transformation stands at a staggering $680 billion annually.

The result is a food crisis, but also a crisis of justice for the 735 million people globally who are suffering.  Today, three out of four agricultural small and medium-size enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa cannot access adequate finance.

Farmers in the Global South pay far more for capital than their counterparts in developed nations.  Meanwhile, women farmers face even steeper barriers despite producing the majority of the continent's food.  Behind these statistics are real people facing impossible choices.

Picture a farmer facing drought.  It destroys her crop, but she has no insurance, no savings, no safety net.  She plants again with borrowed seeds, carrying debt that grows heavier with each failed harvest.  She cannot access credit, she is locked out of financial markets.  Ultimately, she and her family are forced to choose between starving or abandoning their land.

This is a startling story of struggle, yet one that millions face every day.  This crisis demands more than sympathy -- it demands systematic change.  It’s time for a fundamental shift in what we finance, how we finance it and who controls access to those resources.

It can take many forms.  Blended finance structures that mobilize private capital for public good.  Green bonds that channel investment towards climate-smart agriculture.  Debt-for-nature swaps that free resources for conservation and food security.  Insurance schemes that protect farmers from shocks that destroy livelihoods overnight.

Let me be clear:  the Global South is not waiting to be rescued.  It is leading solutions, and our role is to ensure those solutions have the investment they need to scale.  Look at Rwanda, where digital platforms connect smallholder farmers directly to markets and fair prices.  Or Morocco, where water-smart agriculture helps communities survive intensifying droughts.  These innovations work, but they need capital to scale.

That means designing financial instruments that serve smallholder farmers alongside larger enterprises.  That means ensuring women and youth have central roles as agents of change in our development strategies.  That also means every dollar invested in food systems is rooted in human rights.

The Kampala Declaration -- Africa's renewed commitment to agricultural transformation -- charts this path forward, and it builds on the Malabo commitments.

To succeed, we need coordinated action across four critical areas:  First, governments must lead transformation by aligning policies, budgets and institutions around food security.  Second, development finance institutions must de-risk private investment through guarantees, concessional loans and first-loss capital.  Third, private sector partners must commit to inclusive business models that create value for farmers, not just shareholders.  Fourth, we must strengthen South-South and triangular partnerships that share knowledge, technology and resources across the Global South.

The saying “we reap what we sow” could not be more accurate when it comes to our food systems.  It’s time to choose innovative investment over inertia.  Let us be the generation that chooses to nourish humanity and our planet, not just our pockets.  Let’s invest in food systems that catalyse health, prosperity and a life of dignity for everyone, everywhere.

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