The Role of Analytics in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger

Recent disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Food Crisis, and the worsening effects of climate change have pushed the world off track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger (SDG2) by 2030. In this paper we seek to understand whether analytics, given its track record in the private sector, can help accelerate progress towards achieving SDG2. The objectives of this paper are to investigate the link between food security and analytics, to support the generation of compelling evidence of its impact, and to bring the analytics research and humanitarian communities closer together. We explore how different analytical tools and techniques can be and are being used to contribute to achieving SDG2, using the eight targets of SDG2 as an overarching framework for discussion. We find that the positive impacts that have already been realized through analytics across governments, food-related agencies, and NGOs demonstrate its potential as a driver for SDG progress and expect more yet to come as governments and humanitarians gear up for the final stretch towards 2030.