SDG 2: Targeted Zero Hunger in Malaysia

The Sustainability Development Goals are also known as the world goals. All the members of the United Nations adopted SDG in 2015 as a universal call for measures to end poverty, developed the economy, guarantee the full peace and prosperity of people by 2030. The journey to sustainable development started in Malaysia in the '70s with the launch of the New Economic Policy on poverty eradication and the re-structuring of social imbalances. The three focuses of SDG are economic, social, and environmental.

   By 2030, the SDGs are aimed at ending hunger and malnutrition in all forms, ensuring that every person, especially children has adequate food throughout the year. The aim is to support sustainable farming and poverty people. In the 1970s when the New Economic Policy (NEP) for eradicating poverty and restoring societal imbalances was launched, Malaysia began a journey towards sustainable development. So, here I would like to share the information based on my research regarding Sustainability Development Goals 2, which is Zero Hunger.

   In the last twenty years there has been a considerable decrease in the number of hungry people but every day 821 million continue to fight hunger. Many factors contribute to hunger in the world. Malaysia ranked 59th out of 107 countries in the 2020 Global Hunger Index with enough data to calculate GHI scores in 2020. The reasons for this are diverse and complex and often interrelated. One of the causes is poverty. Poverty is the principal cause of hunger. This applies both to the rich and to the poor. Whether urban or rural people live is true. They do not have enough land to produce food for themselves to eat and they earn so little income when their own supply is gone, they cannot afford to buy food from other sources. The other factor is job instability. When the national or local economy is in a downturn, poverty rates rise. People lose jobs and find no jobs. Once the economy improves, some people still have difficulties finding work. For example in pandemic situations right now. They could find it difficult to get a job. Thus, they cannot survive themselves. So, I must do the best to help what I can contribute. This is not only the task of the government to reduce hunger problems but also for us.

     Based on my research on this issue, I saw that Malaysia has eradicated hunger and reduced malnutrition by continuous efforts to supplement the nutritional requirements of children in poor families. Several measures have been taken by the Ministry of Health to address the problems of malnutrition (MOH). For example, the Malnourished Kinder Rehabilitation Program was introduced in 1989 to enhance children from poor families aged 6 months to 6 years. The programme was later expanded to include those from poor and low-income households. The rehabilitation programme was later implemented. The basic food stocks, immunization, treatment, and health education are provided for these children. The Community Food Program and the Supplementary Food Program for Pregnant and Lactating Moms who have low weight growth and anaemia also comply with such efforts. Based on analytical statistics, around 1990 to 2014, these interventions resulted in a 90% reduction in cases of malnutrition. Poor families have also been able to obtain food and basic needs thanks to collaborations with NGOs like the MyKasih Foundation. Thus, Malaysia's achievement in reducing hunger has been largely due to these efforts, among others. 

     The steps that I can take to end hunger in Malaysia is to try to avoid food waste, a packaged refrigerator may look attractive but actually, it can cause food waste if it cannot be eaten by the household. A weekly journey to the supermarket may prevent people from purchasing too much food and helping to reduce waste, rather than just making a longer trip. We have to think twice before throwing food away. If we cannot finish our meals, we can put them back in the fridge. So that, we still can eat back later. Always make a list when going shopping especially to buy groceries. It is because buying foods that already in the home can become another waste source. Furthermore, the other way that we can do is, to contribute ourselves to help the poor people around us. Maybe we can donate a meal to needy people or maybe give them some financial help. Although these are small steps, if everyone plays a role it will give the best results to end hunger in Malaysia. 

   What I have learned from these is actually I also have to take part in these issues. The hunger problem is one of the important things that I have to look for. Allah created us for the reason. We need to carry out our duties as Khalifah in this world. To be the best Khalifah, it is our responsibility to make sure people around us get the same as we are. In the Quran, many verses make clear that spending wealth on charity and its reward. Allah says that every Muslim should spend on needy people a little of their wealth. By doing so, your wealth is not diminished, but Allah multiplies the things that we give. I'm very grateful that I learned all this knowledge in my class because I can see the difference in my behaviour before and after I know this. I will try to practice all that I have learned and make changes in every action that I take because even if only one bad action but it will play a big effect on others. Thus, I hope that we have high levels of awareness to help people around us especially the needy people to achieve the goal of end hunger in Malaysia.