The issue of world hunger has persisted for generations. The people who have food exploit it and are unaware of the fact that there are billions of people who are hungry worldwide.
The fact that food insecurity affects 11.3% of the population is hard to believe. It is not about supplies that will end hunger. There is enough food produced worldwide to feed everyone.
The question then becomes: Why exactly are there hungry people in the world? To be honest, a variety of things contribute to global hunger.
The main causes of global hunger include war and other violent conflicts, poverty, and extreme weather brought on by climate change.
Let’s understand some of the prevalent reasons that contribute to world hunger.
War & Conflict
War and conflict are a big reason that leads to poverty and hunger. The poorest people of the countries at war get the most affected and also become prey to destruction and dislocation.
This develops anger and resentment in them against the governments that seems to overlook the plight of the poor.
Poverty
Hunger and poverty are like two sides of a coin. People caught up in the cycle of poverty find it difficult to afford two to three meals every day.
Lack of nutritious food and frequent starvation result in undernourishment. In consequence, malnutrition makes it challenging for people to work and make more money so they can afford food.
Furthermore, to support their life, these poor families go up to the extent of selling their livestock and goods.
Although it provides temporary comfort, it feeds a longer-term poverty cycle that passes on to their children. Hungry kids around the world as a result becomes prone to malnutrition and sometimes, death.
Climate
Climate change is a major contributor to global hunger since it has increased the frequency of famine, floods, and tropical storms.
The little plots of land that farmers depend on for their food and livelihood are destroyed by these frequent and unforeseen natural calamities.
For example, hunger is a major problem in Zambia as a result of climate change. Both excess and shortage of rainfall can ruin crops and diminish the amount of accessible pasture for livestock in the country.
On top of that, these fluctuations are worsened by the El Nino weather and are expected to worsen due to climatic changes.
Economic Condition
How effectively a country manages its food supply closely relates to how resilient its economy is. For instance, Liberia’s overall economic problems deteriorated as a result of the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
Although eight years have passed since the epidemic ended, 50% of the population is still in poverty.
Food Wastage
Every year, over one-third of the food that is produced worldwide is wasted. In addition, the generation of this wasted food uses other natural resources, whose depletion has an impact on the nations that are already the most affected by hunger, poverty, and other issues.
Race & Gender
Economic growth alone cannot bring prosperity to a country. The social fabric of every nation includes discrimination, regardless of how wealthy it may be.
As a result of this discrimination, the most disadvantaged groups usually fall behind. Evidence indicates that in the majority of nations, communities of color, women, and rural areas are particularly impacted by hunger and poverty.
And across all these groups, women and girls have greater disadvantages compared to men. Women and girls make up 60% of the world’s hungry people.
