Current levels of government aid aren’t enough to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2: zero hunger by 2030. Aid budgets are stretched thin and are unlikely to grow. This is why governments and development agencies need to maximize the impact of their available resources to attract commercial capital — and here’s how blended finance can work towards that goal.
How much will it cost to end hunger? According to the latest figures from the University of Bonn’s Centre for Development Research, it will take an estimated $27 billion annually over the next six years, from 2025 to 2030, to bring 500 million people out of hunger.
The United Nations, in its flagship food security report, estimated that hunger affected 733 million people worldwide in 2023. This number has risen sharply since 2019, as we face the fallout from geopolitical conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening climate conditions, and economic downturn.
About the authors
Federica de Gaetano
Federica de Gaetano joined the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, or AICS, in 2020 as food security project officer. She is a focal point for food security, contributing to international working groups. Prior to AICS, she worked for the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forest Politics, and the European Commission. She holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and a master's in food law. She is also a co-chair of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development.
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell is the senior policy advisor at the food systems section of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, SDC, and the focal point of the SDC Agriculture and Food Systems Network. He previously worked for the Swiss Permanent Mission to the U.N. organizations in Rome, Italy. He has an academic background in rural engineering, international development, and conflict analysis. He is also a co-chair of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development.
