Implementing Effective Solutions to Combat World Hunger

What is Hunger?

Hunger is the feeling of discomfort and/or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. In another Word hunger is a sensation experience when one feels the physiological need to eat food. In contrast, satiety is the absence of hunger; it is the sensation of feeling full. Appetite is another sensation experienced with eating; it is the desire to eat food.

• Hunger is the world’s No.1 health risk. It kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
• One in seven people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight.
• One out of four children in developing countries are underweight.
• There are more hungry people in the world than the combined populations of USA, Canada and the European Union.
• 925,000,000 Hungry Worldwide.

Who is Hungry?

Most of the world’s hungry live in developing countries. According to the latest Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) statistics, there are more than 925 million hungry people in the world and 98 percent of them are in developing countries. They are distributed like this:

• 578 million in Asia and the Pacific
• 265 million in Sub Saharan Africa
• 53 million in Latin America and the Caribbean
• 42 million in the Near East and North Africa

What causes of hunger?

• Natural disasters
• Inflation, high food prices
• Political and economic instability
• Production shortfall
• Poverty
• Climate change
• Diminishing natural resource
• Infectious disease (e.g. AIDS pandemic)
• Low levels of education and literacy
• Inadequate application and distribution of technology

Types of Hunger

Stomach Hunger	Brain Hunger
You show physical sign of hunger, hunger pangs or stomach growls.	You don’t show physiological signs of hunger, your brain tells you are hungry.
Any food works for you, you don’t crave for something in particular.	You have a very specific craving.
You Drank water and still hungry after 10 minutes.	You drank water and no longer feel hungry.
Your Hunger built over time and won’t go away.	Your hunger popped out of nowhere and goes away in abit.

Food Wasted Globally

• 1.3 billion tons of foods are wasted every year, this amounts to USS1 trillion of wasted or lost food as the World food production for human consumption is 3.9 billion tons.
• Just one quarter of all wasted food could feed the 795 million undernourished people around the world who suffer from hunger

Child Hunger is an Epidemic

Each year, malnutrition affects millions of kids worldwide:

1. More than 55 million children are acutely malnourishe
2. More than 35 million children are severely malnourished.
3. More than 1 mllion children die from severe malnutrition.

(This means malnutrition causes 20% of all child deaths)

Deciphering the Global Hunnger and Malnutrition Statistics

Rising hunger and undernourishment is a trend of recent years. That’s an increase of 7.3% between 2015 and 2023.

• 700 Million people are undernourished: Approximately 700 million people worldwide are undernourished, according to a 2022UN report.
• 10%The worldPopulation: Around 10% of the world population Was severely food insecure in 2022.
• 200 M
• One in Three Children Under 5 years of Age: On average, one in three children under 5 years of age -200 million-is either undernourished or overweight.
• 50% of all Child Deaths Underage 5: Nearly 50% of all child deaths under age 5 are attributed to under nutrition, translation into the loss  of about 3 million young lives a year.
• Leading Causes of Severe Food Crises: Climate variability and extremes are among the leading causes of the recent rise in global hungerand are of the leading causes of severe food crises.

Growth in the global hunger epidemic can be attributed to three main reasons…

1. The world’s population is swelling, with more people born into poverty and hunger every day.
2. Global warming is also becoming a huge issue. Global warming increase the prevalence of natural disasters and extreme weather conditions.
3. Conflict and social unrest are now heightening across Africa and the Middle East too, which displaces millions of people each year.

Although we await official figures, the Covid- 19 pandemic and recent Russia Ukraine War has likely had a massively damaging impact on world hunger.

Covid -19 Has Had a Damaging Impact on Food Security and World Hunger

• It’s estimated that 12,000 people may die per day from hunger and food insecurity caused by the pandemic.
• The Covid- 19 pandemic also increased chronic hunger. More than 83 to 132 Million people may suffer chronic hunger because of the Covid- 19 pandemic.
• The WFP estimates that, due to the pandemic, 280 million additional people suffered from crisis- level hunger in 2021.
• Food prices across the world have risen by Nearly 25%.
• In 80 Countries included in the analysis, the number of food insecure people may have risen from 150 million to 277 million.
• An 85% increase in food – insecure people.

What is hunger and famine?

• Food is one of the most important assets in life, you need it to survive.
• Three degrees of hunger: acute, chronic, and hidden.
• Famine: caused by the shortage of inability of people to obtain food. Usually caused by low food production resulting from drought, other factors, or it could be a result of the inability of a country or its population to afford to buy food.          
• Hunger is the single biggest solvable problem facing the world today. 2.2 billion people live on less than S2.00 a day.
• Around the world, 805 million people are hungry-nearly 1 in 9 globally. Host a food drive in your community to provide food to those in need .

What is a Food System?

Production	Processing	Distribution	Consumption
Preparing Soil and planting seeds	Storing harvests	Selling food ar local market	Purchasing food
Harvesting crops	Butchering meat and poultry	Shipping to regional or international locations	Storing food at home
Breeding and raising livestock	Catching Fish	Distributing via wholesalers or community programs	Cooking
Breeding and raising fish	Milling grain		Eating
	Cleaning fruits and vegetables		Composting

Combating world hunger is a complex challenge that demands a comprehensive approach. Here are some practical steps that can make a real difference:

1. Supporting Sustainable Agriculture: Farmers need our support in adopting methods that are good for the environment and increase crop yields. This means promoting techniques like organic farming and providing farmers with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed.
2. Ensuring Access to Nutritious Food: It’s not just about providing food—it’s about making sure that food is nutritious and accessible to everyone. This can involve targeted food aid programs and supporting local markets so that communities have access to fresh, healthy options.
3. Investing in Infrastructure: Building and maintaining roads, storage facilities, and water systems is crucial. These investments help reduce food spoilage and ensure that food can reach the people who need it, especially in remote areas.
4. Empowering Vulnerable Groups: Women and children are often disproportionately affected by hunger. By investing in their education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, we can create stronger communities that are more resilient in the face of food insecurity.
5. Addressing Climate Change: Climate-smart agriculture is essential for adapting to the challenges posed by climate change. This includes supporting farmers with resilient crop varieties and sustainable practices that can withstand extreme weather events.
6. Advocating for Policy Change: Governments and international organizations play a crucial role in shaping policies that promote food security. This includes fair trade policies that benefit small-scale farmers and laws that prioritize nutrition and sustainable agriculture.
7. Promoting Education and Research: Teaching communities about nutrition and sustainable farming practices is key. Investing in research can also lead to innovative solutions that improve food production and distribution.
8. International Cooperation: Hunger is a global issue that requires collaboration across borders. By working together with other countries, organizations, and businesses, we can pool resources and expertise to tackle hunger more effectively.

By focusing on these areas and working together, we can make significant strides towards ending hunger and ensuring that everyone has access to the nutritious food they need to thrive. Every step, no matter how small, counts in making a difference in the lives of millions affected by hunger worldwide.