China

Where The Rural Poor Go Hungry

Rapid economic transformations over the past 35 years in the People’s Republic of China have meant remarkable progress in development – but large pockets of poverty and disparity still exist – especially in remote, mountainous areas.
WFP/Michael Huggins

Developing & Starving

By lifting millions out of hunger, China met its Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of hungry people by 2015 and reduced the global hunger rate by two thirds.

But still, millions of people are malnourished. Given the size of China’s population, rates of 9.4 percent for stunting in children, 19.6 percent for anemia and 25 percent for overweight represent significant national and global burdens.

The rural landscape is dominated by more than 200 million smallholder farmers, who produce the majority of the food consumed nationally and manage 95 percent of the cultivated land. For those living in the most remote locations, with poor infrastructure and limited access to financial and other services, markets and value chains, it is difficult to partake in the national progress and efficiency gains.

And then there’s climate change. More than 186 million people are exposed to the effects of droughts and floods, which are estimated to reduce the country’s potential grain output by about 20 million tons per year. This vulnerability is exacerbated by the expansion of agricultural activities into areas prone to disasters, and by poor maintenance of water conservation.

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Make a difference in China

Hunger Stats

Millions of people are malnourished in China, and there are huge income and nutritional gaps between rural and urban areas. On top of all that? The country is one of the most disaster prone in the world.

WFP’s Work in China

We’re on the ground in China, working with the Government to reduce poverty in targeted counties, enhance the livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers, and improve the capacity of communities in areas vulnerable to disasters to withstand and respond to climate shocks.
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Nutrition
WFP supports the Government in its efforts to meet its target of bringing stunting rates among children under 5 to less than 7 percent by 2020. Based on its global experience, WFP provides the Government with technical advice and expertise to improve the delivery of nutrition programmes in selected “poverty counties”, with a special focus on hard-to-reach areas.
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China, Qinghai, July 2002

Mother and child who will probably benefit from WFP's school feeding programme in a few years time. Kaang Village, Qinghai Province, China.

Photo: WFP/Michael Huggins
Resilience Building
WFP supports efforts to help vulnerable smallholder farmers in areas such as Gansu, Hainan, Hunan, Anhui and Guangxi provinces to enhance their capacity of generating income and becoming integrated into national food supply chains, including through access to markets and to financial services.
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Ghana, Accra, Kotoka International Airport, UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), 06 April 2020

The UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Accra is located within the Kotoka International Airport and is strategically placed to support emergency preparedness and response for the West and Central African regions. The refurbishment of this depot was completed in 2014 and was generously made available by the Government of Ghana.

In the Photo: a cargo plane carrying 60 MT of PPEs donated by the Chinese Government (the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges and the National Health Commission) to 18 West African countries arrived in UNHRD Accra this week. The bulk cargo has been disassembled and sorted into batches per recipient country.
The items, as instructed by CICETE and NHS, are planned to be delivered to Guinea, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Togo, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Benin and Burkina Faso.
The consignment for Ghana has already been collected from UNHRD premises in Accra, and the first dispatches have started to the Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.

Photo: WFP/Ashwini Rai
Disasters
WFP supports government efforts to build the resilience of targeted rural communities in arid and semi-arid regions (in Gansu, Anhui and Guangxi provinces and other disaster-prone regions) where climate-related shocks and stressors can easily wipe out any small gain in production. WFP provides advice and assistance aimed at strengthening response mechanisms for shocks, including supply chain interventions, asset creation and insurance systems.
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South-South Cooperation
WFP’s Centre of Excellence in China helps share China’s rich experience in food security, nutrition improvement and poverty alleviation with other developing countries, by facilitating policy dialogues, technical trainings, policy, research and other activities , with the goal of supporting them in the achievement of their Sustainable Development targets by 2030.
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WFP delivers the first batch of supplies including 10 boxes of 50 sets non-invasive ventilators (NIV) from Beijing to Wuhan on 13 March.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is providing lifesaving medical equipment worth US$500,000 to help China’s frontline hospitals in Hubei support the Government’s effort to combat COVID-19.
Supporting the Government in the treatment of severe cases of COVID-19, WFP is providing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) equipment and non-invasive ventilators (NIV) for treating critically-ill patients. The first batch of 50 NIV will be delivered from Beijing to Hubei Charity Federation on 15 March. ECMO equipment is scheduled to arrive in Wuhan on 18 March.

“WFP is working closely with the Chinese Government to ensure assistance is aligned with the country’s national priorities, including mitigating the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in rural areas,” said WFP’s Country Director in China, Sixi Qu.

WFP stands ready to support the Government of China and the office in Beijing is in close contact with relevant authorities to provide emergency support and assist with the procurement of much needed medical equipment.

In addition to medical equipment, WFP is also providing strategic air transport of critical items.  Our expertise and tools will also be used for a joint assessment of COVID-19,” said Qu.

The COVID-19 outbreak has been devastating and requires an unprecedented response. In February, the heads of the UN Rome-based agencies - the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and WFP - issued a statement to express solidarity with China and pledge support.

In the Photo: WFP delivers the first batch of supplies including 10 boxes of 50 sets non-invasive ventilators (NIV) from Beijing to Wuhan on 13 March.

Photo courtesy of Yingshi Zhang
Public-Private Partnerships
WFP works with the Chinese government to ensure that efforts to achieve food security and nutrition in “poverty counties” within China and select developing countries are supported by the creation of public-private partnerships – with companies and civil society organizations – that can provide technical and financial assistance to food insecure areas both within and outside China.
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