Distinct differences in the zero hunger network among countries with varying income levels

Abstract

Zero Hunger (Sustainable Development Goal 2, SDG 2) serves as a cornerstone for achieving global sustainable development, and is intricately linked with other SDGs exhibiting complex and multifaceted synergies and trade-offs. While the interconnections among indicators referring to food system within environmental domain have been widely investigated, interactions among indicators of all three pillars (social, economic, and environmental) remain under-researched. This study leverages the 2020 Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) assessment data to construct a global SDG 2-related network comprising 38 targets and 61 indicators, and examine how this network’s structure varies across income levels. The results reveal high-income countries (HICs) have achieved notable advancements in eradicating hunger and improving agricultural productivity, while facing unique challenges of overnutrition. Low-income countries (LICs), by contrast, face persistent constraints in agricultural productivity, infrastructure, and resource access. Across the global SDG 2-related network, SDG 2 targets show direct synergies with 31 targets in other SDGs, covering all studied economic targets, whereas 10 targets exhibit direct trade-offs, all of which are related to the environment. The share of trade-offs declines as income rises, from 28 % in LICs to 13 % in HICs. Synergies mainly occur between economic targets in LICs, while they often occur between economic and social targets in HICs. Trade-offs linked to environmental targets indicate LICs rely more on natural resources, whereas HICs face environmental spillovers. These findings underscore the need for tailored strategies, with LICs prioritizing agricultural productivity and infrastructure, while HICs addressing social equity, social distribution, and environmental sustainability.