African Bank Looks to Reduce World Hunger
The African Development Bank (ADB) is asking organizations around the world to work together to lift one billion people worldwide out of hunger.
“We are not winning the war against global hunger,” says Bank President Akinwumi Adesina.
The ADB works to reduce poverty and hunger by supporting economic development across Africa. Adesina says the ADB is leading the way by investing $24 billion in African agriculture over the next 10 years. It is the largest investment of its kind.
The Bank has started a $1 billion project that connects seed companies, public and private groups, and financial institutions in 27 countries to help make technology available to 40 million African farmers.
Adesina says that technology is already helping African farmers produce and earn more. Some types of rice and maize have been developed that are better at storing water and can survive in high temperatures. This means farmers can successfully grow food in very dry, hot conditions.
Adesina says that farmers across Africa need to have access to the new types of grains. This will make it possible for larger amounts of food to be produced to feed the hungry.
The latest World Food Security and Nutrition data shows that the number of hungry people in the world increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016.
The International Food Policy Research Institute expects that there will be 38 million more hungry people in Africa by 2050 because of climate change, and that Africa will experience major food shortages by 2020 and beyond.
