Dr Diana Onyango to give evidence at International Development Committee's session on SDG 2: zero hunger

08 March 2024

Farm Africa’s Head of Technical Team, Dr Diana Onyango, will give evidence at the International Development Committee’s session on the UK government's work on achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger, on Tuesday 12 March.

Former International Development Secretary, Rory Stewart, will also give evidence at the session, which will take place at the House of Commons and be livestreamed on parliament.tv here.

As the final evidence session of the inquiry on the FCDO’s work to achieve zero hunger, the session will focus on the different ways, including in agriculture, of achieving long-term food security.

According to the United Nations, there is more than enough food in the world to feed every human. Despite this, global progress towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 2, achieving Zero Hunger, has stalled.

There are now truly horrific reports of conflict-driven famine emerging in Gaza; and re-emerging again in Sudan; while Yemen has been classed as in a “food insecurity crisis” since at least 2016.

Earlier evidence to this inquiry from community leaders who had set up relief groups in the face of famines or long-term food security testified to the role of climate change and conflict in creating food insecurity.

Witnesses emphasised the disruption to farming practices that have traditionally fed local populations by a range of factors: from climate-related droughts to political and economic instability.

They also underlined the necessity of locally appropriate solutions for sustainability, and the importance of personal dignity when developing food security solutions: such as using voucher schemes rather than food handouts.

The final evidence session will cover the following topics:

• What is the FCDO’s current policy and programming to help achieve global food security and how it could be improved?
• What challenges do farmers face and how is the FCDO working with smallholder farmers and women in particular to overcome these challenges?
• How responsive is the scientific research body and the aid industry to community needs?  

At 2.30pm (this session will be live streamed):

• Rt Hon Rory Stewart, former international Development Secretary and Senior Advisor at Give Directly
• Dr Jyotsna Puri, Associate Vice-President, Strategy & Knowledge at International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

At approximately 3.15pm:

• Ruchi Tripathi, Global Lead on Livelihoods and Resilience at VSO
• Dr Diana Onyango, Head of Technical Team at Farm Africa
• Dr Rachael McDonnell, Deputy Director General of IWMI, and Senior Program Director Water Systems, CGIAR