- How can we define "hunger"?
Well, Oxford dictionary defines it as "he uneasy or painful sensation caused by want of food; craving appetite. Also the exhausted condition caused by want of food".
Another important term is "malnutrition", a general term that indicates a lack of some or all nutritional elements necessary for human health
The two basic types of malnutrition mentioned by worldhunger.org are:
1. The first and most important is protein-energy malnutrition: the lack of enough protein (from meat and other sources) and food that provides energy. This is what causes world hunger.
2. The second type of malnutrition, also very important, is micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiency.
- How many people are malnourished?
A recent estimate released on October 2009, made by FAO, says that 1.02 billion people are undernourished, an increase from its 2006 estimate of 854 million people.
The increase has been due to three factors:
1) neglect of agriculture relevant to very poor people by governments and international agencies;
2) the current worldwide economic crisis;
3) the significant increase of food prices in the last several years which has been devastating to those with only a few dollars a day to spend.
- Who are the most visible victims?
Children who are poorly nourished suffer up to 160 days of illness each year. Poor nutrition plays a role in at least half of the 10.9 million child deaths each year, which means five million deaths.
Geographically, more than 70 percent of malnourished children live in Asia, 26 percent in Africa and 4 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean. In many cases, their plight began even before birth with a malnourished mother.
1.02 billion people is 15 percent of the estimated world population of 6.8 billion. Nearly all of the undernourished are in developing countries.
- Is there enough food in the world to feed us all?
The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17 percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent population increase. According to FAO, This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day.
The principal problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, enough food. TH!NK ABOUT IT
Source: worldhunger.org
(Andrea Arzaba, July 2010)
This is a very clear post, thanks. I was hungry today, it felt very uneasy.. Hard to concentrate on anything. If I would try to imagine having this feeling all the time. It’s terrible..
Yes…these were only facts. It would be like one of your posts says Wouter, will they be stronger than pictures? This would be a good question…
In the Philippines, one out of five go hungry. It’s a sad reality everywhere. Thanks for this post Andrea. It’s a stark reminder indeed.
I appreciated the pics.. thx
And the facts!!!
A great overview. Thanks Andrea. In Brazil alone, one child dies of hunger every five minutes, while 70 thousand tons of food are thrown away daily. A poignant mad reality.
I talk about hunger everyday and the stats never grow old. We define it as too little food or an incorrect mixture of the foods we need to grow. There is definitely enough to feed everyone and agricultural advances are increasing the amount s of food we produce to keep up with a growing population. Still, one billion people are hungry right now.