The “bureaucratic” objective is Zero Hunger by 2030.  Although the reality is that in 2018 821 million people suffered from hunger and 150 million children suffered from stunting, according to reports of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (FAO); the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Such information, reflected on The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2018, presented on September the 11th 2018, reveal that far from improving the situation in the period 2016-2018, levels of food insecurity have receded to those existing in 2008.

The report notes that the factors that cause this increase in hunger are:

(1) Conflicts

(2) Climate 

(3) The economic slowdown

Regarding this information, at Veterinaria Digital we have made the following calculations:

(1) If the amount of 150 g of protein per day is sufficient for a person’s correct nutrition, a million people need 150 million grams daily, that is, 150,000 kg of protein per day.

(2) In 60-day cycles, it is equivalent to 9 million kg of meat, that equals to 3.6 million chickens of 2.5 kg each.

(3) Thus, each million people would need 21.6 million chickens per year. The 821 million people affected by hunger would be fed with 17,733 million chickens per year.

(4) Taking into account that the first 50 poultry-farming companies produce around 50,000 million chickens per year, it would be enough if they increased their production by 30%.

This calculations are based, exclusively, on the increase of chicken production by main poultry producers. Even though it would be feasible, it would be even more so if such productive effort were also replicated by other protein-producing companies , such as egg laying sector, tilapia-farming and shrimp producers.

Thus, one can reach a first conclusion: Solving hunger is not a problem of productive capacity, but a problem of political will.

So, the question that arises is: How can we measure political involvement in tackling the problem of hunger?

At Veterinaria Digital we believe that Constitutions should incorporate not only the rights of citizens, but also the obligation of States’ budgets to prioritize the satisfaction of daily nutritional needs; housing; access to drinking water and electricity, etc.

Constitutions detail legislative, executive and judicial organs of each country. However, it is discouraging to see the existing gap when it comes to providing for the satisfaction of citizens’ needs.

It is not necessary for states to produce. It would be enough if the states were committed to find the producers. This is all about a social contract between the state and citizens, who rely on it for the fulfilment of some of their rights.

Perhaps, only this way, the Zero Hunger 2030 goal could be easily achieved. There would be fewer retirees and/or workers below the poverty line, and much less social discontent.