Hunger: A Missed Opportunity In The 2024 U.S. Election Agenda

With hours left until the 2024 U.S. presidential election on November 5^th, final polls reveal a laser focus on familiar issues: the economy, immigration and concerns over the state of democracy. But as the candidates make their final appeals, one urgent crisis continues to be conspicuously absent from the discussion: hunger.

This oversight is notable, especially given that hunger and food insecurity now affect over 9% of the global population and 13.5% of Americans— a level that hasn’t been this high in nearly a decade. And yet, hunger has largely been overlooked on the campaign trail. For those on the frontlines of the fight against global food insecurity— World Food Prize laureates— this is more than just a minor oversight.

Last week, the world’s most influential voices in agriculture, sustainability, and anti-hunger advocacy gathered in Iowa for the Borlaug Dialogue, the flagship event of the World Food Prize. Here, 13 past and present World Food Prize laureates issued a no-holds-barred statement urging U.S. voters and candidates to get their heads out of the sand and start caring about the fact that hunger is creeping back to levels we haven’t seen in years.

“Among those of us who have won the World Food Prize in recent years, there’s a shared sense of urgency,” says Reverend David Beckmann, a Lutheran minister who won the World Food Prize in 2010 for his work as president of Bread for the World, where he has long advocated for hunger and poverty reduction.

“We’re keenly aware of the dramatic progress the world has made against hunger and poverty over the past few decades, but we’re also seeing that progress stall— and, in some ways, reverse. Coming here just a few days before the U.S. elections, we felt it was important to highlight that hunger hasn’t really been discussed in the campaigns, despite its critical importance,” says Beckmann.

For Beckmann and his fellow laureates, the absence of hunger as an election issue is a threat to global stability and security. They warn that progress against hunger, while possible, requires strong political will and leadership, particularly from the United States.

“Increasing hunger is a moral scandal, and it threatens peace and prosperity,” says Beckmann. “It fuels social unrest and migration, exacerbates environmental degradation, and is a drag on economic growth.”

A new United Nations report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme on October 31^st, warns that acute food insecurity— driven by conflict, climate and economic challenges— is expected to worsen in both scale and intensity across 22 countries and territories, and hundreds of thousands more people are expected to face starvation between now and March 2025. Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, has issued a direct appeal, stating that it is “time for world leaders to step up and work with us to reach the millions of people at risk of starvation.”

CEO of Roots of Peace and 2023 World Food Prize Laureate, Heidi Kühn, has dedicated her career to turning war-torn landscapes riddled with landmines into fertile agricultural spaces, and has witnessed firsthand how food insecurity fuels conflict— and vice versa.

She stresses that America’s role in addressing global hunger has long been part of its global responsibility and humanitarian tradition. “We are not an island,” she says. “The long-term peace and prosperity of our country depend on what’s happening in the world.”

For Beckmann, the silence is maddening.

“Look, we’re in the middle of these interlocking crises— conflict, climate, economic struggles. And yet, progress against hunger has stalled, even started reversing,” he says. “The U.S. election is the perfect moment to talk about it, but here we are, and it hasn’t even come up.”

Why Isn’t Hunger on the Agenda?

According to Pew Research, issues like inflation, health care, reproductive rights and border control are top of mind, while hunger doesn’t even make the top-ten list.

So, why are candidates— and voters— so disconnected from hunger as a pressing issue? One possible reason is that many Americans view hunger as a problem that does not effect them.

“Politicians respond to what people care about, and right now, the U.S. public is more concerned with the economy and crime than with hunger,” Beckmann says.

Executive Director of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and 2018 World Food Prize laureate, Lawrence Haddad— heralded for elevating child and maternal nutrition in the hunger agenda— puts it bluntly.

“Hunger is the crisis behind the crises that we see on our screens each day. Hungry people are restless people in search of a better life. Hungry people have less to lose and more to gain from conflict. Hungry people have less incentive to take care of the planet— it’s all they can do to take care of their families.”

These aren’t the kinds of soundbites that you’re likely to hear at a campaign rally but are the brutal reality of a world where 733 million people are now living in chronic hunger— a number that has shot up by more than 150 million people in just four years.

“This isn’t just an ‘over there’ issue,” stresses Haddad. “Our economy, our stability— so much is connected to global food and nutrition security.”

A Call for “Moral Leadership”

The World Food Prize laureates’ collective letter calls on voters to realize that hunger is a fundamental problem with world-shaping consequences.

It’s about “moral leadership,” Kühn says of the four key priority actions highlighted in the letter:

The U.S. should support the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. Led by Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, also a World Food Prize laureate, the initiative will launch next month at the G20 summit. Lula’s plan aims to boost efforts to combat hunger and poverty by supporting governments committed to implementing effective solutions.

The U.S. should lead the replenishment of the World Bank’s Fund for Low-Income Countries. In December, international leaders will decide on the future of this fund, which is essential to assisting low-income countries still struggling under post-COVID debt.

The U.S. should support Pope Francis’ Call for Debt Relief: The Pope has designated 2025 a Jubilee year, calling for a historic debt forgiveness initiative for impoverished countries.

U.S. voters should Think Bigger: The laureates are urging Americans to consider how their vote will impact those struggling with hunger, both locally and abroad.

“The U.S. can lead global change— if we choose to,” Beckmann says.

But Kühn is wary. “We’re watching the world blow up in a sense of apathy,” she says. “The U.S. is so focused on immediate concerns within its own borders that we’ve lost sight of how these global issues are intrinsically linked to our own well-being.”

A Challenge to America’s Core Values

Beyond its appeal to voters and candidates; the laureates’ letter challenges America’s core values of generosity, leadership, and responsibility.

Kühn hopes that the collective wisdom of the laureates— who come from diverse backgrounds but share a commitment to ending hunger— will inspire Americans to look beyond immediate concerns and consider the bigger picture. Ending hunger isn’t just a political goal— it’s a moral duty.

“We are the elders now,” she says. “It’s a beautiful thing to be the elders and to share our collective wisdom with our fellow Americans.”

The election may already be upon us, but the stakes are long term. For the laureates, hunger is a foundational issue that lies at the heart of other global challenges, from climate change to migration to political instability. Prioritizing it could address not only the immediate need to reduce food insecurity but also promote peace, and resilience worldwide.

Beckmann urges Americans to think about the future impact of their votes, stressing that leadership on hunger is not merely a policy choice; it’s a moral imperative.

“The world has made dramatic progress against hunger and poverty in recent decades. We know how to get that progress going again,” he implores.

“We just need the political will.”