Tuesday, May 02, 2006
20% of the world goes hungry everyday
20% of the world's population goes hungry everyday
Some 800,000,000 people go hungry everyday.
2,000,000,000 suffer from chronic malnutrition.
18,000,000 die each year from hunger-related diseases.
About 50% of the deaths from hunger-related deaths are from children under the age of 5.
Interestingly enough, some parts of the world has been consuming more and more calories whereas other parts have been losing daily calories. Consider the fact that nutritionists argue that a healthy diet consists of about 2,500 calories a day. In the US alone, an average of 3,800 calories are consumed. In countries like Somalia, an average of 1,500 calories are consumed.
World food production has kept in pace with demand, as newer agricultural techniques and technologies have improved crop yeild and the prices for staple foods like rice and grains have fallen from previous years averages.
This begs the question, why are some countries getting fatter, while others are slimming? Sadly there is a simple answer: War. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that of 18 African countries that were facing food emergencies in 2001, 8 of them were involved in conflicts and a further 3 were suffering from war's after-effects. For instance, in Rwanda 1995, 3 out of 4 farmers were displaced and nearly cut the food production for that year in half. People in war torn countries spend less time farming, and more time running or fighting. The nation's youth grow up learning how to point a gun instead of learning how to plow a field. Governments spend less money on improving agriculture and more money on the production or buying of weapons to fight. A country that is already weakened by fighting can be hit really hard with natural disasters such a drought or flood. Add war and natural disasters to a corrupt mismanaged government and you have a whole lot of people in a world of hurt.
So what is to do? There are no overnight solutions but the first would be to get awareness of the world-wide hunger epidemic out to industrialized countries. Director-General Emeritus of the World Health Organization (WHO), Gro Harlme Brundtland, claims that "a strong human rights effort is needed to bring on board the millions of people left behind by the 20th century's health revolution."
Secondly, more money is needed to help improve the farming techniques for developing countries. They must not become too dependant on food hand outs, improving their infrastructure will not only increase a nation's GDP and standard of living, but it will also ensure a more sound political environment so that war may not be a part of everyday life. Lastly, improving education is also key for every country regardless of the state that they are in. In countries with an adult literacy rate of about 40%, their GDP average is about $210. In countries with an adult literacy rate of 80%, the average GDP is about $1,000+. Furthermore, girls who go to school and get an education tend to marry later and have fewer children. Farmers with a minimum of 4 years of total education are at least 10% more productive a year.
Some 800,000,000 people go hungry everyday.
2,000,000,000 suffer from chronic malnutrition.
18,000,000 die each year from hunger-related diseases.
About 50% of the deaths from hunger-related deaths are from children under the age of 5.
Interestingly enough, some parts of the world has been consuming more and more calories whereas other parts have been losing daily calories. Consider the fact that nutritionists argue that a healthy diet consists of about 2,500 calories a day. In the US alone, an average of 3,800 calories are consumed. In countries like Somalia, an average of 1,500 calories are consumed.
World food production has kept in pace with demand, as newer agricultural techniques and technologies have improved crop yeild and the prices for staple foods like rice and grains have fallen from previous years averages.
This begs the question, why are some countries getting fatter, while others are slimming? Sadly there is a simple answer: War. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that of 18 African countries that were facing food emergencies in 2001, 8 of them were involved in conflicts and a further 3 were suffering from war's after-effects. For instance, in Rwanda 1995, 3 out of 4 farmers were displaced and nearly cut the food production for that year in half. People in war torn countries spend less time farming, and more time running or fighting. The nation's youth grow up learning how to point a gun instead of learning how to plow a field. Governments spend less money on improving agriculture and more money on the production or buying of weapons to fight. A country that is already weakened by fighting can be hit really hard with natural disasters such a drought or flood. Add war and natural disasters to a corrupt mismanaged government and you have a whole lot of people in a world of hurt.
So what is to do? There are no overnight solutions but the first would be to get awareness of the world-wide hunger epidemic out to industrialized countries. Director-General Emeritus of the World Health Organization (WHO), Gro Harlme Brundtland, claims that "a strong human rights effort is needed to bring on board the millions of people left behind by the 20th century's health revolution."
Secondly, more money is needed to help improve the farming techniques for developing countries. They must not become too dependant on food hand outs, improving their infrastructure will not only increase a nation's GDP and standard of living, but it will also ensure a more sound political environment so that war may not be a part of everyday life. Lastly, improving education is also key for every country regardless of the state that they are in. In countries with an adult literacy rate of about 40%, their GDP average is about $210. In countries with an adult literacy rate of 80%, the average GDP is about $1,000+. Furthermore, girls who go to school and get an education tend to marry later and have fewer children. Farmers with a minimum of 4 years of total education are at least 10% more productive a year.
