Progress toward SDG‐2: Assessing food security in 93 countries with a multidimensional indicator system

Abstract

AbstractThe second goal of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (SDG‐2: zero hunger), which integrates food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture, is the common aim of human beings. Assessment of food security performance is the premise of understanding the global food security to tailor strategies toward SDG‐2. This study quantitatively assesses the food security of 93 countries using a multiple‐dimensional indicator system (MDIS) with five dimensions (i.e., availability, access, utilization, stability, and other) consisting of 34 indicators using the data for the years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The results show imbalance in global food security, which is generally high in Europe, Oceania, and North America, fair in East Asia and South America, and low in Africa and South Asia. In the dimensions, countries with low availability are mainly owing to the bad performances of indicators related to energy, protein, and meat supply; the low utilization is expressed in the number of obese adults, stunted children, prevalence of anemia of women, obese adults and overweight children; the low food access showed in the low GDP per capita and rail line density; and the low‐stability countries mainly have the high food import dependency and low political stability. Policy implications include promoting the adoption of agricultural technologies to boost food production, implementing inclusive finance among vulnerable groups to enhance health equality, developing national economy and transport systems to increase access to food, and encouraging local food reserves and calling for world peace to stable food supply. This study provides national governments and international organizations with a new MDIS, status quo, and possible solutions to eliminating hunger.