School feeding and the Sustainable Development Goals: An agenda to combat child hunger, boost education, transform food systems and strengthen equity
School feeding and the Sustainable Development Goals: An agenda to combat child hunger, boost education, transform food systems and strengthen equity
National school feeding programmes present a public policy with wide-ranging and mutually reinforcing benefits across several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including education, nutrition, and child health. While school feeding programmes are not a standalone intervention, they also offer a powerful mechanism to reconnect food systems with the goal of strengthening human well-being and planetary sustainability. However, current school meals coverage is far too limited where it is needed most: low-income countries (LICs) and lower middle-income countries (LMICs). LICs and LMICs account for almost 90% of global undernutrition and an even higher share of $2.15/day extreme poverty. However, in 2021, in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, only 19% of children in primary schools in LICs and 39% in LMICs – 157 million in total – received some form of school feeding. Many of the barriers are linked to underfinancing. This report sets out the case for a drive to expand the reach of school feeding programmes in LICs and LMICs by providing two scenarios for this expansion and associated cost estimates for delivery. The report offers a range of options for governments in LICs and LMICs to finance expanded school feeding programmes.