Using sport to end hunger and achieve food security.

• Author: Brewer, Jack

Sport can serve as a catalyst for achieving all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is poised, however, to make a unique impact on Goal 2, which aims to "end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture". Sport programmes associated with nutrition and agriculture can complement programmes that tackle hunger and support education. Beneficiaries can be educated and engaged in sustainable food production and balanced diets. The spirit of sport is linked to the nutrition and wellness of a community or individual; this connection between sport and health can be used to highlight inefficiencies in the global food supply chain.

Within a growing global population of 7.4 billion people, 793 million still suffer from chronic hunger. The world currently produces more than enough food to feed everyone. Up to one third of food produced for consumption is wasted each year, however, due to spoilage; recovering just half of what is lost or wasted could feed the planet. Worldwide, an estimated 161 million children under 5 years of age are chronically malnourished. Micronutrient deficiencies affect more than 2 billion people, hindering human and socioeconomic development and continuously contributing to the cycle of malnutrition. Along with those suffering from malnutrition are the 500 million people globally who are overweight and obese. Both of these issues present complex problems and inhibit the productivity and well-being of populations across the globe.

Vulnerable countries, communities and individuals are able to connect to community services through sport-based outreach programmes, which instil a sense of hope in situations that may otherwise seem hopeless. Sport and recreational activities provide a release for people struggling with day-to-day challenges, allowing them to take their minds off of what they are facing. A sense of pride can be felt when a country that is facing hunger, food insecurity or other turmoil comes together to support its athletes and team. This creates a common voice and a common denominator for the country, which can transform into a global common denominator.

The core mission of The Jack Brewer Foundation (JBF Worldwide) is to provide relief to communities around the world suffering from extreme poverty and hunger, using sport as its catalyst. JBF Worldwide has raised funds to send meals to those in extreme famine areas--over 300,000 meals have been shipped...