Hunger
Encyclopedia
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.
Six million children die of hunger every year.
According to estimates by the FAO
there were 925 million undernourished people in the world in 2010. This was a decrease from an estimate of 1023 million undernourished people in 2009. The same organization reports that there were 923 million malnourished people in the world in 2007, which in turn represented an increase of 80 million since 1990. The FAO purports that the world already produces enough food to feed everyone — 6 billion people — and could feed double — 12 billion people.
As the number of hungering people is a subset of the under- or malnourished number, the number of people in hunger is smaller. The statistics here may provide some indication but should not be quoted as numbers or shares of people in hunger.
of the United Nations
, "850 million people worldwide were undernourished in 1999 to 2005" and the number of hungry people has recently been increasing widely.
There is a wide range of opinions as to why this problem is so persistent. Organizations such as Food First
raise the issue of food sovereignty
and claim that every country on earth (with the possible minor exceptions of some city-states) has sufficient agricultural capacity to feed its own people, but that the "free trade
" economic order associated with such institutions as the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the World Bank
prevent this from happening. At the other end of the spectrum, the World Bank itself claims to be part of the solution to hunger, claiming that the best way for countries to succeed in breaking the cycle of poverty and hunger is to build export-led economies that will give them the financial means to buy foodstuffs on the world market.
Amartya Sen
won his 1998 Nobel Prize
in part for his work in demonstrating that hunger in modern times was not typically the product of a lack of food; rather, hunger usually arose from problems in food distribution networks or from governmental policies in the developing world.
(FAO), the World Food Programme
(WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD). All three of these agencies are based in Rome
, Italy.
FAO is the world’s agricultural knowledge agency, providing policy and technical assistance to developing countries to promote food security, nutrition and sustainable agricultural production, particularly in rural areas. FAO also acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy.
WFP’s key mission is to deliver food into the hands of the hungry poor. The agency steps in during emergencies and uses food to aid recovery after emergencies. Its longer term approaches to hunger help the transition from recovery to development. IFAD, with its knowledge of rural poverty and exclusive focus on poor rural people, designs and implements programmes to help those people access the assets, services and opportunities they need to overcome poverty.
In 2002, the World Bank
began a study involving 61 countries and more than 400 agricultural scientists. In 2008 they released a report called the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development
. It contained ideas about how to feed the world, fight poverty and address climate change. According to the report, small-scale, diverse, sustainable farms and home gardens had the most potential to solve the world’s hunger problems while reversing modern agriculture’s devastation of ecosystems. The authors concluded that “small farms are often among the most productive in terms of output per unit of land and energy.” Also, they wrote, “an increasing percentage of the funding of university science tends to be concentrated in areas of commercial interest or in advanced studies such as satellite imaging, nanotechnologies and genomics rather than in applications deeply informed by knowledge of farming practice and ecological contexts.” Regarding genetically engineered crops, the report cited “possible risks to biodiversity and human health” and the “privatization of the plant breeding system and concentration of market power in input companies.”
, where users accumulate rice for the hungry as they answer questions, or WeFeedback, where they share information about their favourite food as they donate, are examples of how internet-based tools are being used in new ways to help fight hunger.
UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP have recently built a substantial social media presence, marking a further development in the bid to engage the 1.8 billion internet users worldwide in the issue of hunger.
Association of America Foundation (MOWAAF) has found that hunger is a serious threat facing millions of seniors in the United States
, and that understanding the problem is a critical first step to developing remedies. In 2007, MOWAAF, underwritten by the Harrah's Foundation, commissioned a research study entitled The Causes, Consequences and Future of Senior Hunger in America. The report was released at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging in March 2008 in Washington, D.C.
The study found that in the US, over 5 million seniors (11.4% of seniors), experience some form of food insecurity (i.e., were marginally food insecure). Of these, about 2.5 million are at-risk of hunger, and about 750,000 suffer from hunger due to financial constraints. Some groups of seniors are more likely to be at-risk of hunger. Relative to their representation in the overall senior population, those with limited incomes, under age 70, African American, Hispanic, never-married, renters, and seniors living in the Southern United States
are all more likely to be at-risk of hunger. While certain groups of seniors are at greater-risk of hunger, hunger cuts across the income spectrum. For example, over 50% of all seniors who are at-risk of hunger have incomes above the poverty threshold
. Likewise, it is present in all demographic groups. For example, over two-thirds of seniors at-risk of hunger are Caucasian. There are marked differences in the risk of hunger across family structure, especially for those seniors living alone, or those living with a grandchild. Those living alone are twice as likely to experience hunger compared to married seniors. One in five senior households with a grandchild (but no adult child) present is at-risk of hunger, compared to about 1 in 20 households without a grandchild present. Seniors living in non-metropolitan
areas are as likely to experience food insecurity as those living in metropolitan areas, suggesting that food insecurity cuts across the urban
-rural
continuum.
Malnutrition, famine, starvation
- MalnutritionMalnutritionMalnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
is a general term for a condition caused by improper diet or nutrition, and can occur in conjunction with both under and over consumption of calories. - FamineFamineA famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
is a widespread scarcity of food that may apply to any fauna species, which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. - StarvationStarvationStarvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death...
describes a "state of exhaustion of the body caused by lack of food." This state may precede death.
World statistics
On October 11, 2010, it was reported that the number of malnourished people in the world exceeded 1 billion people, about a sixth of the world's total population.Six million children die of hunger every year.
According to estimates by the FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
there were 925 million undernourished people in the world in 2010. This was a decrease from an estimate of 1023 million undernourished people in 2009. The same organization reports that there were 923 million malnourished people in the world in 2007, which in turn represented an increase of 80 million since 1990. The FAO purports that the world already produces enough food to feed everyone — 6 billion people — and could feed double — 12 billion people.
As the number of hungering people is a subset of the under- or malnourished number, the number of people in hunger is smaller. The statistics here may provide some indication but should not be quoted as numbers or shares of people in hunger.
| Year | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of malnourished people in the developing world | 37 % | 28 % | 20 % | 16 % | 17 % | 16 % |
Politics of hunger
According to the Food and Agriculture OrganizationFood and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, "850 million people worldwide were undernourished in 1999 to 2005" and the number of hungry people has recently been increasing widely.
There is a wide range of opinions as to why this problem is so persistent. Organizations such as Food First
Food First
Food First, also known as the Institute for Food and Development Policy, is a nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California, USA. Founded in 1975 by Frances Moore Lappé and Joseph Collins, it describes itself as a "people's think tank and education-for-action center".Its mission is “to...
raise the issue of food sovereignty
Food sovereignty
"Food sovereignty" is a term coined by members of Via Campesina in 1996 to refer to a policy framework advocated by a number of farmers, peasants, pastoralists, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, women, rural youth and environmental organizations, namely the claimed "right" of peoples to define their...
and claim that every country on earth (with the possible minor exceptions of some city-states) has sufficient agricultural capacity to feed its own people, but that the "free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
" economic order associated with such institutions as the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
(IMF) and the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
prevent this from happening. At the other end of the spectrum, the World Bank itself claims to be part of the solution to hunger, claiming that the best way for countries to succeed in breaking the cycle of poverty and hunger is to build export-led economies that will give them the financial means to buy foodstuffs on the world market.
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen, CH is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members...
won his 1998 Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in part for his work in demonstrating that hunger in modern times was not typically the product of a lack of food; rather, hunger usually arose from problems in food distribution networks or from governmental policies in the developing world.
The Fight against Hunger today
There is a growing sense among governments and global institutions that eradicating hunger is a fundamental challenge for the 21st century. The United Nations has three agencies that work to promote food security and agricultural development: the Food and Agriculture OrganizationFood and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
(FAO), the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
(WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development
International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
(IFAD). All three of these agencies are based in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy.
FAO is the world’s agricultural knowledge agency, providing policy and technical assistance to developing countries to promote food security, nutrition and sustainable agricultural production, particularly in rural areas. FAO also acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy.
WFP’s key mission is to deliver food into the hands of the hungry poor. The agency steps in during emergencies and uses food to aid recovery after emergencies. Its longer term approaches to hunger help the transition from recovery to development. IFAD, with its knowledge of rural poverty and exclusive focus on poor rural people, designs and implements programmes to help those people access the assets, services and opportunities they need to overcome poverty.
In 2002, the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
began a study involving 61 countries and more than 400 agricultural scientists. In 2008 they released a report called the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development
International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development
The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development is an international effort initiated by the World Bank that evaluated the relevance, quality and effectiveness of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology , and the effectiveness of public and...
. It contained ideas about how to feed the world, fight poverty and address climate change. According to the report, small-scale, diverse, sustainable farms and home gardens had the most potential to solve the world’s hunger problems while reversing modern agriculture’s devastation of ecosystems. The authors concluded that “small farms are often among the most productive in terms of output per unit of land and energy.” Also, they wrote, “an increasing percentage of the funding of university science tends to be concentrated in areas of commercial interest or in advanced studies such as satellite imaging, nanotechnologies and genomics rather than in applications deeply informed by knowledge of farming practice and ecological contexts.” Regarding genetically engineered crops, the report cited “possible risks to biodiversity and human health” and the “privatization of the plant breeding system and concentration of market power in input companies.”
The Fight against Hunger on the Internet
Several humanitarian organizations are using the internet to raise awareness about hunger and to raise funds. Web campaigns like the 1billionhungry and websites like FreericeFreeRice
Freerice is a website where users play various educational, multiple-choice games in order to fight world hunger. For every question the user answers correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated...
, where users accumulate rice for the hungry as they answer questions, or WeFeedback, where they share information about their favourite food as they donate, are examples of how internet-based tools are being used in new ways to help fight hunger.
UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP have recently built a substantial social media presence, marking a further development in the bid to engage the 1.8 billion internet users worldwide in the issue of hunger.
In the United States
The Meals On WheelsMeals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels are programs that deliver meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programs, not all of which are actually named "Meals on Wheels"...
Association of America Foundation (MOWAAF) has found that hunger is a serious threat facing millions of seniors in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and that understanding the problem is a critical first step to developing remedies. In 2007, MOWAAF, underwritten by the Harrah's Foundation, commissioned a research study entitled The Causes, Consequences and Future of Senior Hunger in America. The report was released at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging in March 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The study found that in the US, over 5 million seniors (11.4% of seniors), experience some form of food insecurity (i.e., were marginally food insecure). Of these, about 2.5 million are at-risk of hunger, and about 750,000 suffer from hunger due to financial constraints. Some groups of seniors are more likely to be at-risk of hunger. Relative to their representation in the overall senior population, those with limited incomes, under age 70, African American, Hispanic, never-married, renters, and seniors living in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
are all more likely to be at-risk of hunger. While certain groups of seniors are at greater-risk of hunger, hunger cuts across the income spectrum. For example, over 50% of all seniors who are at-risk of hunger have incomes above the poverty threshold
Poverty threshold
The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living in a given country...
. Likewise, it is present in all demographic groups. For example, over two-thirds of seniors at-risk of hunger are Caucasian. There are marked differences in the risk of hunger across family structure, especially for those seniors living alone, or those living with a grandchild. Those living alone are twice as likely to experience hunger compared to married seniors. One in five senior households with a grandchild (but no adult child) present is at-risk of hunger, compared to about 1 in 20 households without a grandchild present. Seniors living in non-metropolitan
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
areas are as likely to experience food insecurity as those living in metropolitan areas, suggesting that food insecurity cuts across the urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
-rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
continuum.
Organizations
- The Alliance to End Hunger
- Bread for the World
- Church World ServiceChurch World ServiceFounded in 1946, Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 37 Christian denominations and communions in the United States, providing sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance around the world...
- Feeding America
- Food and Agriculture OrganizationFood and Agriculture OrganizationThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
- Good Shepherd Food BankGood Shepherd Food BankGood Shepherd Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Maine, providing surplus and purchased food to more than 600 nonprofit organizations throughough the state. During fiscal year 09/10, the Food Bank distributed 12 million pounds of food to its partner agencies.The Food Bank's...
- Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (IIMSAM)
- Share Our StrengthShare our StrengthShare Our Strength is a national organization working to end childhood hunger in the United States. Share Our Strength holds culinary events, solicits individual donations, and utilizes social media efforts to raise funds which are then used to fund long-term solutions to the hunger problem...
- Stop Hunger NowStop Hunger NowStop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid around the world...
- World Food ProgrammeWorld Food ProgrammeThe World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
- End Poverty NowEnd Poverty NowEnd Poverty Now is a nongovernmental, non profit advocacy organization dedicated to the alleviation of poverty both locally and worldwide. It is based in Montreal, Canada and was formed in 2004 by Ross Margulies and Nejeed Kassam, two students at McGill University...
- Freedom from HungerFreedom from HungerFreedom from Hunger is recognized for fighting hunger with innovative self-help programs. An international development organization working in seventeen countries across the globe, Freedom from Hunger is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, nonsectarian organization classified by the IRS as a 501 charity...
- Action Against HungerAction Against HungerAction Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organization with a focus on ending world hunger. Action Against Hunger specializes in responding to emergency situations of war, conflict, and natural disaster...
- HopelinkHopelinkHopelink is a nonprofit agency that serves north and east King County, Washington with food banks, energy assistance, housing, an employment program, transportation and adult education....
See also
- StarvationStarvationStarvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death...
- MalnutritionMalnutritionMalnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
- Global Hunger IndexGlobal Hunger IndexThe Global Hunger Index is a multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries’ hunger situation. The GHI measures progress and failures in the global fight against hunger...
- Right to foodRight to foodThe right to food, and its variations, is a human right derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights...
- Hunger 0Fome ZeroFome Zero is a Brazilian government program introduced by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2003, with the objective to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty in Brazil.-Contents of the program:...
- 1974 National Security Study Memorandum 200National Security Study Memorandum 200National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests was completed on December 10, 1974 by the United States National Security Council under the direction of Henry Kissinger....
(NSSM 200)
External links
- Action Against Hunger | ACF-USA
- Action Against Hunger | ACF-UK
- The Global Food Security and Nutrition Forum (FSN Forum)
- United Nation 2007 report
- Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition
- Fighting hunger and poverty in Ethiopia (Peter MiddlebrookPeter MiddlebrookDr. Peter J. Middlebrook is the Managing Director of Geopolicity Inc., and an English political economist/Political Scientist and Emerging Markets expert specializing in fragile states, international relations and the development of Transition economies...
) - Satiety enhancers in food Scientist Live
- e-learning about Food Security and Hunger from FAO
- Food Security: A Review of Literature from Ethiopia to India (Geopolicity)
- School Feeding Programs That Fight Child Hunger A Series of Interviews with UN World Food Programme Officials about school feeding in developing countries and their impact in reducing child hunger and malnutrition
- Crisis briefing on food and hunger from Reuters AlertNet
- "Human Rescue Plan". World Food ProgrammeWorld Food ProgrammeThe World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
, 2009 (video) - Ten Things you can do to Fight World Hunger The Nation, May 13, 2009
- Attacking Hunger at Its Roots by Hillary Clinton, The Huffington Post, June 11, 2009
- UN Warns of "Silent Tsunami of Hunger" in Global Food Crisis - video report by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...