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Viewpoint: Digital adoption, education contribute to falling hunger rates

By Richard Mc Cormack
Johannesburg, 27 May 2016

Despite factors including climate change and drought testing agriculture across the planet, recent research reveals that global hunger rates are falling, with effective education policies being cited as a contributing factor.

According to The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the number of hungry people in the world has dropped to 795 million - 216 million fewer than in 1990-92.

In the developing regions, the prevalence of undernourishment - which measures the proportion of people who are unable to consume enough food for a healthy and active life - has declined to 12.9% of the population, down from 23.3% a quarter of a century ago, the report finds.

Severe food insecurity is also close to being eradicated in northern Africa, with the prevalence of undernourishment falling below 5%.

"The theme of the [May 2016] World Economic Forum in Rwanda is the digital revolution and how it is helping to educate the youth and help them find much-needed jobs. Better levels of education mean more chance of gainful employment and the ability to put food on the table, as well as make informed decisions and choices," reports Deidre Fryer, academy manager for global ERP provider Syspro. "There is a well-known correlation between progressive education, falling hunger rates and overall democratisation."

The rise of mobile connectivity in Africa provides increasing access to education and opportunities for those living in remote, rural areas.

At the most recent GSMA: Mobile 360 Series - Africa conference, it was discussed that the growth of 3G connections in Sub-Saharan Africa largely reflects the rising smartphone adoption rate, which has doubled in the last two years to 20% of total connections.

"A very big benefit of e-learning is it drives a disruption of traditional education, offering more immersive and responsive online learning experiences to students", says Fryer. "In recent years, many countries in Africa have embarked on new government-backed initiatives, regional and international support to integrate learning technology into education and corporate training".

Fryer concludes that she expects this trend to further contribute to positive education and sustenance levels across the African continent.

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