About this Research Topic

Background

This collection is Volume II of the Research Topic X-raying Zero Hunger (SDG2) Targets in Africa and Other Regions: Progress, Synergies, Opportunities, and Challenges.

The field of global food security is currently grappling with the immense challenge of feeding over 8 billion people worldwide, a task that is particularly daunting for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) 2023 report, between 690 and 783 million people experienced hunger in 2022, with an increase of 122 million more people facing hunger compared to the pre-pandemic period of 2019. Projections indicate that by 2030, approximately 600 million people will suffer from chronic hunger. Alarmingly, Africa bears a disproportionate burden, with about 20% of its population affected by hunger, compared to lower percentages in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania.
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2), known as Zero Hunger, aims to eradicate hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. Despite the concerted efforts of many nations to implement food and nutrition-sensitive policies since the SDG 2 agenda's inception in 2015, significant challenges persist, particularly in Africa. These include extreme poverty, rapid population growth, high food prices, unemployment, social exclusion, extreme weather events, corruption, and conflicts, all of which hinder progress towards achieving Zero Hunger. Recent initiatives, such as the United Nations Food System Summit, underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to address these multifaceted challenges.

This research topic aims to examine the progress made towards achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), in Africa and other regions. It seeks to analyze the synergies between SDG 2 and other Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on the five key targets: ending hunger and malnutrition, doubling small-scale food producers' incomes, ensuring sustainable food production systems, and maintaining genetic diversity in agriculture. The research will further explore the opportunities and challenges faced by African nations and other regions in achieving Zero Hunger by 2030, with a particular emphasis on the implementation of relevant plans and programs.

To gather further insights into the progress and challenges of achieving Zero Hunger in Africa and other regions, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Food and nutrition-sensitive intervention programs
- Zero Hunger (SDG 2) policy and programs
- Malnutrition among rural and urban households
- Scorecards for SDG 2 target
- Prevalence of hunger in conflict-affected areas in Africa and other regions
- A comparative analysis of hunger prevalence in conflict-affected and non-conflict areas in Africa and other regions
- Prevalence of hunger among agricultural households in Africa and other regions
- Social Safety Net Programmes and SDG 2
- Corruption, violent conflicts, climate change, and SDG 2
- Resilient Food Production Systems
- Issues related to resilient agricultural practices such as climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable intensification
- Access to productive resources such as secure and equal access to land, inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: SDG2, food (in)security, malnutrition, corruption, conflict events, nutrition security

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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