Cambodia achieves Millennium Development Goal in reducing hunger: FAO

Cambodia has achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in reducing hunger, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in a news statement on Thursday.

"Cambodia reduced the proportion of undernourished people from 32 percent in 1990 to 14 percent (of the country's 14.8 million people) in 2014 -- thus meeting the MDG target on proportional hunger reduction," the statement said.

"However, the latest 2014 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey indicates that although the share of Cambodian children under the age of 5 suffering from stunted growth has dropped from 40 to 32 percent since 2010, a significant proportion of future generations is still at risk of impaired physical and cognitive development due to malnutrition," the statement added.

Composed of the poorest and most vulnerable in society, the remaining chronically hungry people are not benefiting from economic growth in Asia-Pacific region and in Cambodia, and are effectively being left behind, the statement noted.

"The challenge is therefore not only to produce more food from the increasingly limited natural resources base, but also to ensure more equitable access to food, while addressing various threats such as climate change," it said.

"FAO congratulates Cambodia on reaching MDG hunger target and remains committed to supporting the Royal Government of Cambodia to further reduce poverty and food insecurity, including through meeting the Zero Hunger Challenge," said Nina Brandstrup, FAO representative in Cambodia.

Early this month, Cambodia launched the national Zero Hunger Challenge initiative with an aim of eradicating hunger by 2025. Endi