Urooj Fatimah 
In 2024, an estimated 673 million people; 8.3% of the global population; faced chronic hunger, according to the United Nations’ State of Food Security and Nutrition in the world (SOFI) 2025 report. Hunger levels have declined modestly since the peak of recent crises, yet progress remains fragile and uneven: Africa continues to see increases, with over one in five people (approximately 307 million) affected, and projections warn that 512 million could still be undernourished by 2030 if current trajectories hold. Zero Hunger (SDG 2) is not failing because the world lacks food production capacity; it is failing because of deep structural inequities; unfair trade rules, debt burdens, climate vulnerability, and agricultural subsidies in rich countries that distort global markets and undercut farmers in the Global South. The article argues that the failure to achieve Zero Hunger stems not from insufficient food, but from structural inequities, and that only justice-driven, locally empowering partnerships can sustainably realize SDG 2.
Traditional Charity models of aid from developed states; emergency relief, short-term handouts, and top-down donations; have proven inadequate and often counterproductive. While they address immediate crises, they rarely tackle root causes and can inadvertently foster dependency, undermine local agricultural systems, and allow donor countries to avoid responsibility for their role in perpetuating inequality. As dependency theory has long argued, such approaches reinforce unequal global power dynamics rather than dismantling them. Recent crises, including Covid-19 disruptions and climate shocks, have further revealed that short-term aid cannot ensure long-term food security. A more effective path requires developed states to move beyond paternalistic assistance toward genuine, equitable partnerships that prioritize local agency, capacity-building, and systemic change.
Practically and realistically, developed states can support SDG 2 through targeted interventions: increasing Official Development Assistance focused on climate-resilient agriculture, transferring open-source technologies (such as drought-resistant seeds and efficient irrigation systems), providing debt relief to free fiscal space for rural investment, and reforming domestic farm subsidies that flood developing markets with cheap imports. The United Kingdom’s Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) Programme in sub-Saharan Africa offers a compelling case study. By partnering with local Agri-SEMs, producer organizations, and private investors, CASA has; as of March 2026; reached 436,643 smallholder farmers (45% women), facilitated improved aggregation and market linkages for 362,395 producers, and delivered an average additional annual income of £183 per farmer (a 63% increase from baseline levels). Other global initiatives such as FAO’s climate resilient agricultural programmes, reinforce the importance of technical support and knowledge transfer to vulnerable communities. These outcomes demonstrate that collaborative, sovereignty-respecting investment can significantly enhance productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, improve nutrition, and build resilience without creating long-term reliance.
The concept of Zero Hunger finds profound ethical and institutional grounding in Islam, transforming SDG 2 from a secular development target into a religious and communal obligation rooted in justice and human dignity. The Quran commands: “And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive” (76:8), framing the act of feeding the hungry as an expression of faith and selflessness. A well-known Hadith reinforces this: “The believer is not he who eats his fill while his neighbor is hungry.” Compulsory Zakat (2.5% annual wealth redistribution) and voluntary Sadaqah, alongside Waqf (endowments dedicated to perpetual public welfare), create systemic mechanisms for food security and poverty alleviation without fostering dependency or humiliation. In contemporary implementation, the Islamic Development Bank’s rice value chain programmes in West Africa (spanning Gambia, Senegal, Niger, and aligned with recent multi-partner initiatives such as the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) $8.5 million climate-smart rice programme launched in February 2026) exemplify this approach. Through Sharia-compliant financing, high-yield inputs, irrigation infrastructure, market access, and targeted empowerment of women and youth, these efforts have increased yields, reduced import dependence, and improved farmer incomes; demonstrating a dignity-preserving model that aligns seamlessly with SDG 2 objectives.
Developed states must abandon performative charity and embrace justice-driven partnerships; reforming subsidies, forgiving debt, sharing technology, and learning from ethical models like Islam’s emphasis on redistribution and dignity. Half-measures will leave 51 million hungry in 2030. The moral, strategic, and practical imperative in unmistakable: act decisively now, or SDG 2 will remain an unfulfilled promise. Justice is not optional; it is the only path to a hunger-free world.
