Hunger is a condition in which the body still needs
food, usually when the stomach is empty either intentionally or unintentionally
for a long time. Hunger is an extreme form of normal appetite. This term is
generally used to refer to the condition of malnutrition experienced by a group
of people in large numbers for a relatively long period of time, usually due to
poverty, political conflict, and weather drought.
World hunger refers to the second definition,
aggregated to the world level. The related technical term (in this case
operationalized in medicine) is either malnutrition, or, if malnutrition is
taken to refer to both undernutrition and overnutrition (obesity, overweight)
as it increasingly is, undernutrition. Both malnutrition and undernutrition
refer to the effects on people of not having enough food. There are two basic
types of malnutrition/undernutrition. The first and most important is protein-energy
malnutrition (PEM). It is basically a lack of calories and protein. Food is
converted into energy by humans, and the energy contained in food is measured
by calories. Protein is necessary for key body functions including provision of
essential amino acids and development and maintenance of muscles.
Protein-energy malnutriton is the more lethal form of malnutrition/hunger and
is the type of malnutrition that is referred to when world hunger is discussed.
That's 795 million people on the planet who suffer
from chronic hunger, according to the United Nations World Food Program The
U.N. forecasts that an additional 2 billion people will be lacking food by
2050. In addition, 1 in 3 people suffer from some form of malnutrition, which
means they lack sufficient vitamins and minerals in their diet, which can lead
to health issues such as stunted growth in children. Most of the world's hungry
people live in developing countries, with Asia as the continent with the most
hungry people — about 526 million — according to U.N. data.
What
Causes Hunger
Worldwide,
the number of hungry people has dropped significantly over the past two
decades, but 795 million people continue to struggle with hunger every day. Many
factors contribute to the state of hunger. The reasons are complex and varied,
and often interconnected.
War and Conflict
Hunger
is both a cause and effect of war and conflict. Wide-scale poverty and hunger
lead to frustration and resentment with governments that appear to ignore
hungry people’s plight. The poorest members of society suffer the worst
during war and conflict. Homes are destroyed and communities of people are
displaced.
Poverty
Poverty
is the main cause of hunger in the world. This is true in rich and poor
countries alike. It is true no matter whether people live in urban or rural
areas. Most people who are hungry are living in extreme poverty, defined as
income of $1.25 per day or less. The largest group of people in the world in
extreme poverty are smallholder farmers in developing countries. They do
not have the land to grow enough food to supply themselves with enough to eat
year round, and they earn so little income from what they sell that they cannot
afford to purchase food from other sources once their own supply runs out.
Job Instability
In
the United States and other high-income countries, hunger is mainly caused by
poverty that results from a lack of jobs or because jobs pay too little. Hunger
rates rise when the national or local economy is in a slump. People lose jobs
and cannot find work. Once the economy improves some people continue to
struggle to find work.
Food Shortages and
Waste
Food
shortages in developing countries are common. The people most affected are
smallholder farmers and their families who depend on their own surplus to
survive between harvests. The period leading up to a harvest is known as the
“hungry season.” Food from the previous harvest runs out and families cut back
on meals.
Poor infrastructure
Poor
infrastructure causes hunger by making it difficult — sometimes impossible — to
transport food to areas of a country where there are shortages. People have
died of hunger in one region of a country while there was plenty of food in
another region. The roads were so poor it was not possible to reach all who
needed the food to survive.
Unstable Markets
People
who live on $1.25 per day spend most of their income on food. Under stable
conditions they can scarcely afford enough food to protect themselves and
family members against hunger. Any fluctuation that pushes food prices up
creates additional hardship. Basic grains such as wheat, rice, and corn make up
the largest share of calories among people in developing countries who are
hungry.
Climate Change
Despite
having contributed little to cause climate change, the poorest developing
countries are already experiencing the effects. Climate change is damaging food
and water security in significant ways. This is the greatest environmental
challenge the world has ever faced.
Nutritional Quality
All
people who are hungry are malnourished. They are not getting enough protein, so
they lose weight and in severe cases their bodies begin wasting. Another
form of malnutrition is known as “hidden hunger,” and it has more to do with
the quality of food than the quantity.
Discrimination
Progress
against hunger and poverty seldom happens without economic growth in countries,
but economic growth alone does not ensure that prosperity is broadly shared.
Every country, regardless of its wealth, has discrimination woven into its
social fabric.
Someways
To Solve World Hunger
Support
Small Farmers
Most African farmers are less productive than a US
farmer was 100 years ago. There is a consensus between NGOs and governments
that supporting and training small farmers is the best possible solution to
future food security.
Target
Infant Nutrition
The solution lies in education on good feeding
techniques and getting the right nutrients to the mother and child from the
beginning of pregnancy. Overall, malnutrition makes people poorer – it is
responsible for an 11% decline in GDP in affected countries.
Reduce
Poverty
Economic growth has long been seen as the key to
reducing hunger. More trade, financial liberalisation and open markets should
aid the flow of food, of which there's no overall shortage.
Prevent
Land Grabbing
An ugly side of current scares over future food
supply is wealthy, land-poor states, like those in the Gulf and South Korea,
acquiring tracts of undeveloped countries to use as allotments. It is a
campaigning cause of the multi-charity IF campaign against hunger.
Reference
