In 2015, the United Nations replaced the eight Millennium Development Goals with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to track countries’ progress in eliminating poverty. SDG 2 focuses on eliminating hunger and China has several updates in this area. Here are the updates on SDG 2 in China.

SDG 2 in China: A General Trend

China observes a low rate of hunger in most of their population and a general downward trend, where fewer people suffer from this issue. In 2000, around 20% of the population was undernourished, but in 2025 that number was less than 2.5% and it continues to decline; those who are malnourished are often located in rural, mountainous areas where they have limited access to infrastructure and government support.

Updates on SDG 2 in China

Hunger challenges in rural areas decrease China’s SDG rating and one can associate most of these issues with local climate.

Rural provinces Gansu and Qinghai observe the highest rates of hunger in China. Earthquakes, droughts and other unpredictable weather events make farming a challenge for people living in Gansu. The most famous earthquakes have reached 7.8-8.5 on the Richter scale and destroyed more than 20,000 square kilometers of land, leaving the people of Gansu struggling to find sufficient resources.

The people of Qinghai experience similar issues and their high altitude often poses agricultural obstacles. Farmers have several adaptive behaviors to ensure sufficient food supply despite environmental challenges. These strategies include adjusting crop planting time, modifying planting structure, using plastic coverings to protect crops, buying agricultural insurance and seeking other sources of food, such as animal meat, eggs or milk, which are easier to protect from environmental events.

The Good News

The vast majority of Chinese people do not have hunger concerns. In 2017, China launched a Rural Revitalization Strategy to combat hunger in rural regions. The policy focuses on developing rural regions and improving farming technology to allow the people living there independence and stability. Methods include: diversifying economic resources of the region beyond farming and handicrafts as well as developing online presence to advertise goods and invite commercial traffic. The policy has already helped more than a billion people and remains a vital source of relief.

Since the challenges in these areas are mainly environmental and not political, the Chinese government becomes a cooperative and powerful actor in this situation. The Chinese Communist Party continues to expand on its strategies to improve the lives of those in more rural regions.

Gansu has rich mineral resources, including coal, iron, copper and various rare Earth metals. The province also has major sources of renewable energy. Hydroelectricity provides most of the power in this area, meaning that the province has an environmentally stable source of energy.

Qinghai is sparsely populated and not heavily developed, but has many natural resources and tourist attractions that hold potential for revenue that could improve the lives of residents. High-quality honey has also become more sought after in recent years. In only the first four months of 2026, exports of honey have increased by more than 20%, largely exporting to countries such as Greece, Singapore and Poland.

China has an extensive railroad and bullet train system which helps transport people and goods over long distances. This can give people living in rural areas more autonomy and allow more connection and development. China could use its railroad system to transport freight and develop the areas and the high-speed bullet trains may function as efficient transportation for people in rural areas to commute or even move to the city to seek more lucrative opportunities as well as allow them to travel to different rural areas with possibly more fertile land.

Conclusion

Although hunger in China persists, solutions are available for people living in these regions. Continued development with maglev and using this technology to focus on rural revitalization can have major impacts on people living with limited access to major infrastructure. Leveraging valuable natural resources and tourist attractions may also increase revenue and improve living conditions.

– Amber Mantiply

Amber is based in Silver Spring, MD, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

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