The UN Has a Plan to End World Hunger With These Actionable Steps

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals are 17 encompassing objectives meant to address the world's most pressing health, educational, social and economic issues by 2030. This month, the UN General Assembly, as well as many of the governing bodies behind the UN's SDGs, will be convening and we'll be breaking down a goal a day.

Ending hunger by 2030 means increasing access to farmland and technology, deescalating conflicts that prevent communities from accessing food, and combating the floods, fires, droughts, and other symptoms of climate change preventing sustainable food development and access across the globe.

More than 90 percent of the world's hungry people live in Africa or Asia, but that doesn't mean hunger isn't an issue close to home. Non-profit organization Feeding America estimates that one in eight Americans struggle with food insecurity on a regular basis, and things aren't looking good for the nation's hungry. President Trump has proposed cutting $220 billion in food stamp funding and adding a cap on funding for families larger than six, regardless of how many mouths need feeding.

And hunger is bad news internationally too. Besides the fact that you should obviously want a full belly for every person regardless of their nationality, hunger can have serious impacts on global health, the international economy, and cultural preservation.

Making a conscious effort to identify where your food comes from, and how it came to be, can have a serious impact on hunger, both in your community and further away from home.

Abroad

The One Acre Fund works against international hunger by giving smallholder farmers micro loans for seeds and fertilizer, as well as offering training, crop storage, and market information to redevelop sustainable farming communities in countries including Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania.

The Hunger Project also runs a slew of programs focused on community cooperation, female empowerment, and government partnership as tools to fight hunger across the globe. Learn more about their work to get involved

At Home

Help sustainable farming and food distribution thrive in your own community by seeking out local food markets and community supported agriculture shares where available. In states including California and New York, SNAP and other food stamp benefits may even be matched when used at local farmer's markets.

Don't live near farm country? Decreasing your food waste and donating extra food products can also go a long way to increasing food accessible in your own community. You can also support national programs like Meals on Wheels and No Kid Hungry, which work to combat hunger in the two age demographics most vulnerable to hunger on a national scale.

To learn more about the SDGs, head to the Goalkeepers site created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which highlights an event in New York City on September 19 and 20 that convenes activists, world leaders, and the public to share their successes and challenges in advancing the SDG agenda. And September 25 is a global day of action on the SDGs -- find an event or opportunity near you.