Dushanbe, FAO: over 100 million people in Europe and Central Asia face hunger — 90 million hectares of land degraded, investment insufficient

90 million hectares of land have been degraded, undermining agriculture and ecosystems. Since 2015, the region has invested $21.4 billion in food systems, but this is "still not enough." FAO Deputy Director-General Viorel Gutu said this at a conference in Dushanbe.

As reported by CCTV+, more than 100 million people in Europe and Central Asia have faced food shortages in recent years, said Viorel Gutu, Deputy Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on Friday. At an international conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Gutu noted that food security remains a serious challenge. About 90 million hectares of land have been affected by degradation, weakening agricultural production capacity and ecosystem functions, and threatening the region's long term sustainable development.

Since 2015, Europe and Central Asia have invested a total of about $21.4 billion in developing food and agricultural systems, Gutu said, warning that this investment is still insufficient.

FAO is the UN's specialized agency working to end hunger and promote agricultural development. The Europe and Central Asia region includes both wealthy EU countries and post Soviet states. The fact that 100 million people in this relatively prosperous region face food shortages points to systemic problems: soil degradation, climate change, logistical gaps. $21.4 billion over nearly ten years sounds impressive, but FAO states outright: it is not enough.

The figure of 100 million is not just statistics. It is the population of an entire country. Each of those people has, at least once in recent years, not known where their next meal would come from. Degrading land means not only lost harvests but also lost futures. A $21 billion investment may seem huge, but for saving 90 million hectares and hundreds of millions of lives, it is just a down payment. FAO is not shouting; it is stating a fact: hunger is not where we are used to looking for it. It is already here, next door. And while we argue about trade wars, the soil continues to die. And people continue to go hungry.