A new UN food security report has revealed that Africa has overtaken Asia as the region with the largest number of hungry people, marking a historic shift in the global hunger landscape. According to africanews.com, the report, released Tuesday, found that global hunger has eased modestly in recent years but projected that more than 500 million people could still face chronic hunger by 2030.

Nearly 60 percent of the world’s chronically undernourished people could live in Africa by 2030, the report warns. Alvaro Lario, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), told The Associated Press on July 10 that conflicts and disruptions to global energy markets could push millions more into hunger by driving up fuel, fertiliser and food costs.

Lario said that geopolitical tensions and potential disruptions to shipping and energy supplies — including uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war — could leave an additional 9 to 18 million people facing hunger if the shocks persist. ‘Conflict remains one of the biggest obstacles to reducing hunger worldwide,’ he said.

Wars and geopolitical tensions can disrupt shipping, energy supplies and agricultural inputs, increasing costs across food systems already strained by inflation. Lario stressed that hunger and conflict often reinforce one another, creating a cycle that is difficult to break without greater stability.

Higher energy prices are already affecting fertilisers and agricultural production, he said. The impact is especially significant for small-scale farmers, many of whom rely on diesel fuel to pump water, harvest crops and transport goods to market. Rising fuel costs increase production expenses and can feed directly into higher food prices.

The new report identifies affordability as one of the world’s biggest food security challenges. While food production continues to grow, roughly one-third of the global population still can’t afford a healthy diet. In low-income countries, that figure rises to about 77 percent, according to Lario.

Climate change is adding further pressure to food systems and rural livelihoods. Lario noted that floods, prolonged droughts and extreme heat are increasingly disrupting agriculture around the world and have become a common reality for many communities. He urged governments to focus on resilience and adaptation before disasters strike, rather than relying solely on emergency responses afterward.

The report highlights Africa as the world’s most pressing food-security challenge. Lario attributed the shift to rapid population growth and slower economic gains than in parts of Asia, and called for greater investment in agriculture, infrastructure and food systems. African countries currently import nearly $100 billion worth of food each year, he said, underscoring the need for stronger local production, storage, distribution and regional trade networks.

Lario concluded that conflicts, energy-market disruptions and climate extremes threaten to derail progress unless governments invest in more resilient food systems.