Most of the time, this column is about the joys of food. But this week I’ve decided to take a more serious tone. Earlier this year, I flew to Johannesburg, South Africa, to speak at a Mandela Day dinner for Rise Against Hunger, a charity that funds meals for preschoolers in poor township creches. Inspired by this visit, I felt I should take a moment to assess where we are in the global battle against hunger, whether this is winnable, and what we can do to ensure children no longer die hungry.

The truth

The idea of any child going to bed hungry is abhorrent, but worse is that nearly half of all deaths in children under five globally are due to undernutrition, according to Unicef data.

Undernutrition makes children more prone to illness and infection, and with a weakened immune system from hunger, getting better is much harder. Undernutrition in the first 1000 days of life impairs physical and mental development irreversibly. Maternal undernutrition also impacts on a child before they are born. It increases the chances of stunting by the time the child is two years old, as does the low rate of exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 795 million people globally don’t get enough food. Of those, 780 million are in developing countries.

We are winning

The good news is that we are winning this battle. The percentage of the world’s population suffering from malnutrition has dropped by almost half since 1990, although the reduction has been slower in Sub-Saharan Africa.

There is enough food

The simple truth is that we grow enough to feed everyone in the world. The issue is that we waste too much, and the distribution is terrible. In the developed world, we waste more than one-third of all the food we grow. In Australia, that equates to $8 billion a year – money that would go a long way to stopping starvation.

Supporting female farmers

Women make up 43 per cent of the world’s agricultural labour force, and over 50 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Asia, yet female farmers are not treated the same as men.

Women in developing countries face more extreme poverty, have less education, lower literacy rates than men, and often face barriers to accessing loans for seeds, fertiliser and equipment, as well as owning land. The FAO says addressing this would have a huge impact. “If women had the same access to productive resources as men, the total agricultural output in developing countries would increase by up to 4 per cent and reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12-17 per cent.”

Local, not global, solutions

Given the size of the problem, it’s hard to see how to solve it. A 2010 study by the World Bank found different assistance was required by specific regions. For example, in Rwanda and Uganda, maternal health was the most vital aspect towards reducing malnutrition, while that wasn’t true for other countries.

Perhaps the most important finding is that for every $1 spent on preventing malnutrition, $16 is delivered in economic returns. For example, Rise Against Hunger’s work to feed vulnerable children frees up funds for these creches to invest in training for the carers, running water and sanitation, and educational resources that help the creches become self-funding, improve literacy rates and eventually exit the programme as sustainable businesses.

Can we defeat world hunger?

Two factors stand in the way of attaining the Sustainable Development Goal of ending world hunger by 2030. Unicef reports that only five of the 22 leading countries have fully met their pledge of funds.

Also, conflicts and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria make hitting that date difficult.

What can you do?

If hunger was an illness – a disease that killed more children than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined, as it does – perhaps we would treat it with more urgency. But hunger isn’t an incurable disease. We know the cure. Huge strides have already been made in reducing levels of malnutrition, proving that eradicating hunger is achievable. For us, the cure starts with our will, our commitment and our wallets.

Help end hunger

We often feel powerless in the face of a huge challenge, like ending hunger, but every little thing you do can help.

1) Waste less and donate the money you save, no matter how little that is. For tips, see delicious.com.au.

2) Donate to an organisation that offers a sustainable, long-term solution.

3) Make a noise. Email your local representative and tell them that Australia has to do more in living up to its responsibilities to those that need help. Or just tell Malcolm.