Enhancing food availability and access in Asia-Pacific

Undernourishment in Asia-Pacific has decreased in the past decade but remains notable in several countries. Based on the FAO data, around 1 in 3 people in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Tajikistan and Timor-Leste were undernourished in 2012. In Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia and Sri Lanka, this ratio stood at around 1 in 5. According to some estimates, around 305 million people in the region are likely to remain undernourished by 2030. This indicates that the challenge to ensure food security in Asia-Pacific remains paramount. Several factors would continue to put pressure on efforts to reduce malnourishment in Asia-Pacific. For instance, the region is expected to have almost one billion people more by 2050 relative to 2013, increasing the demand for food considerably. At the same time, stagnant agricultural land area, water scarcity, soil degradation and increasing use of biofuels are all constraining food production. Finally, since Asia-Pacific is the world’s most disaster-prone region, frequent natural disasters disrupt food production and supply.