IRIN Global | HEALTH: Urban poor missing out on vital nutrients | Bangladesh | Global | Kenya | Children | Food Security | Gender Issues | Health & Nutrition | Urban Risk

The seventh Global Hunger Index, which uses data from 79 countries, shows that 20 countries - many in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa - have hunger levels considered either “alarming” or “extremely alarming”. Unsustainable use of land, water and energy are, according to the report, the biggest threats to food security among the world’s poor and vulnerable.

In addition to population growth, the authors noted that “migration from rural to urban areas in developing countries will have significant effects on food consumption patterns… When people move to urban areas, they tend to eat fewer basic staples and more fruits, livestock products, and cereals requiring less preparation.”

Experts recommend promoting initiatives such as urban agriculture and bag farms to enable slum dwellers to grow more nutritious foods. But broader reforms are also required, “like ensuring the urban poor have leases or titles to the land they live on,” Concern’s O’Mahoney said.