Idris Elba has called for urgent action and creative solutions to prevent a looming hunger crisis in poor countries, where food production and transport have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The British actor and filmmaker said the issue was personal to him and his wife, model and activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba, since both of their families came from Africa.
The couple launched a United Nations fund in April to support rural food systems and spoke in an online panel on Friday with experts from the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
With 60 per cent of employment in Africa in agriculture, “that’s an awful lot of people who are going to suffer and not eat because of the crisis and ongoing effects,” Elba said.
“At the beginning stages of this pandemic … everyone was looking at themselves. And I think what’s happened now is we’ve realised that we’re all connected somewhat.”
Coronavirus is set to almost double global hunger by the end of the year, putting an additional 130 million people at risk because of cut-off trade flows and loss of income, according to the World Food Programme. Most will be in Africa.
